


Her Happy Ending

by midnight_queery



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Break the Curse, Emma is attracted to regina but regina wants her dead, Emma is the author, Endgame Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Eventual Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, F/F, Fate, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I don't how they'll start dating but they will I promise, I hope, I really need to plan these things out, Leopold (Once Upon a Time) Bashing, Leopold is evil, Murder, Murder Mystery, OUAT - Freeform, Once Upon A Time, Past Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Leopold, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swen - Freeform, The Dark Curse - Freeform, True Love, Work In Progress, but I won't go into detail, fairytales - Freeform, i think, operation cobra, rumplestiltskin is shady af, so's the blue fairy, swendgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2020-09-06 04:10:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 36,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20285188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnight_queery/pseuds/midnight_queery
Summary: Even when she was being shuffled from foster home to foster home, Emma was writing. Her head was always full of stories, usually variations of the more commonly known fairy tales. Of all the characters whose stories she’s written, the Evil Queen has always been her favorite. So when the son she gave up years ago finds her and claims his adoptive mother is the Evil Queen from her stories, she's thrilled. And terrified. Regina Mills is more complex than even Emma had realized, and she now has a son begging her to break a curse and putting himself in danger every chance he gets. How is Emma supposed to break a curse, anyway (not that she really wants to in the first place)? And what will happen to Regina if she does? And to Henry if she doesn't?(Chapters start super short but get longer~)





	1. Let Me Give You a Happy Ending

_ As her hand plunged into his chest, the Evil Queen felt a shudder run through her body. She was finally getting her happy ending. Her revenge. She ripped his heart out and watched as he fell to the ground, unconscious. _

_ “I’m sorry Daddy,” she whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek. “This was the only way.” The heart in her hand was beating strongly. The light from the magic with which it was now infused pulsing with each great thump. She stared at it a moment, but before she could hesitate further she held it away from her, and turning her head so she wouldn’t have to watch, crushed it over the smoking cauldron, fingers trembling as the black dust sifted through them. The Evil Queen recited the curse under her breath, doing her utmost to keep her voice from shaking. She couldn’t help but wonder if this would really make her happy. But before her musings could turn to regret, a dark purple smoke spilled from the cauldron, engulfing her and the others watching. The curse had been cast. _

“Dammit, Regina!” Emma slammed her laptop shut. “No matter how many times I try to rewrite this you always do the same thing! Just let me give you a happy ending already!”

Knocks on the door roused Emma from her strange fury at this fictional character who wouldn’t obey her.

“Coming!” She called, irritation lacing her voice. She stomped over and yanked the door open.

“Are you Emma Swan?” A small voice asked. She looked down to see a young boy, probably around ten years old. “My name’s Henry,” he said with a bright but tentative smile. “I’m your son!”

  
  



	2. Once Upon a Time

“My… what now?” Emma asked incredulously.

“You gave up a baby boy ten years ago, right? That was me!” Henry brushed past her and into the apartment, looking around at its scant contents with mild curiosity. After poking her head out into the hallway to see if there was a camera crew for some low-budget prank show, Emma closed the door and leaned against it, watching the child apprehensively.

“Even if you are my kid,” she started, “it was a closed adoption. You shouldn’t have been able to find my name, much less my address.”

“The wonders of technology!” Henry chirped, holding up a small smartphone and a credit card that definitely wasn’t his. Oh boy.

“How did you get here?”  _ Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say _ , Emma thought.

“The bus. I had to come here in secret, after all.”  _ Great, I’m harboring a runaway. _

“Listen, kid--”

“My name is Henry.”

“Ok, fine, Henry. I like my door. It does a good job of being a door. And I need to take you home before the police come bust down my door.”

“But don’t you want to know why I had to come get you in secret? It’s for Operation Cobra!” Henry took his backpack off and began to unzip it. “This book--”

“You can tell me all about it in the car. We’re going. NOW.” Emma threw on her red leather jacket and escorted the kid out of the apartment, grabbing her small go bag on the way. She always had liked having a quick escape.

***

“Can I tell you about Operation Cobra now?” Henry asked excitedly, climbing into Emma’s yellow bug.

“Are you buckled in?”

“Yup!”

“Fine. After you tell me where we’re going.” She began to back out of the parking space, resolving to drive very very carefully since she now had some unexpected cargo.

“Storybrooke, Maine. Now then,” Henry pulled a small but thick book from his bag and brandished it triumphantly. “Have you read  _ Once Upon a Time _ ?”

Emma glanced over, then quickly turned her eyes back to the road, a small smirk on her face.

“Who hasn’t?”  _ Once Upon a Time  _ was a worldwide sensation. It had inspired multiple plays, movies and tv shows, and even some video games. Despite its fame, however, no one knew who the book’s author was, not even the publishing company.

“Well, the Evil Queen—“

“Regina,” Emma interrupted. Henry gave her a strange look, but continued.

“Anyway, she’s my— I mean, she’s the Mayor of Storybrooke. And I’m pretty sure my teacher is Snow White.”   
  



	3. The Land Without Magic

“You expect me to believe that all of the characters from  _ Once Upon a Time  _ ended up in Maine, of all places?” Emma’s heart was racing with excitement, but she tried to keep her cool. There was no way this was true. It would be awesome if it was, but it couldn’t be. Right?

“Well, the book ended with the curse being cast, right? And the Queen said they were going to a new land… one without magic?” Henry was flipping through the book, which Emma now noticed had a ridiculous amount of sticky notes on seemingly every page. “So I think that this must be the land without magic. Maine just happens to be where they ended up.”

“Who says this land has no magic?” Emma blurted out.  _ I probably shouldn’t have said that.  _ She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Henry staring at her, eyes wide.  _ I definitely shouldn’t have said that _ . “Anyway, do you really think only Regina and Snow White came here? The curse was for everyone in the Enchanted Forest. Even people from other kingdoms.”

“They all have new jobs and names and personalities,” Henry explained. “Snow White is Mary Margaret Blanchard now.”

“What about Regina?”

“Mo— The Mayor is still Regina. Regina Mills.”

“If this town is full of people from the Enchanted Forest, then how did you end up there?”

“Mom made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin. But now he’s known as Mr. Gold, and he owns a pawn shop.”

Emma snorted. “Of course he does. So why haven’t you told me who your mom is?”

“Uh…. I think you’ll know when you meet her…”

The rest of the car ride was filled with Henry’s theories about the curse and about the identities of the other denizens of Storybrooke. Eventually, around 5pm, they came to the town sign.

“I can’t believe there’s actually a place called Storybrooke,” Emma muttered, shaking her head.  _ No wonder my kid’s as crazy as I am _ .

“This is my house.”

Emma stopped in front of a large, white house that screamed affluence. “Alright, ki— Henry, time to go explain this to your mother.

  
  
  



	4. Madame Mayor

Emma and Henry stood on the porch, staring at the door. Someone had to knock. They glanced at each other, then quickly averted their eyes. Emma sighed and took a small step forward, raising her hand to the door. She glanced at Henry again, and he gave her a nervous grin. Before she could knock, though, the door swung open.

“--just find him!” A woman was saying, an edge of desperation in her voice. She had her head turned to talk to someone, so all Emma could see of her was perfectly styled hair and a sharp black coat. Her voice, though. Emma would know that voice anywhere. She had to force herself not to move, not to grab the woman's shoulder and yank her around so she could see her face. See if it was really... 

“I found him,” said the man coming up behind her. He was wearing a uniform with a casual leather jacket thrown over it, his sandy hair ungelled and a sheriff’s badge glinting from his belt. Emma recognized him immediately. The Huntsman. Her stomach lurched and she fought the urge to throw up. She'd thought for sure Regina would have dropped him when she came to a new land. He'd already betrayed her once, heart or no heart. Emma looked down to avoid his curious gaze.

“What are you talking about?” The woman turned to look at them, and Emma quickly made herself stop staring at her toned legs.

“Uh, hi…” Emma said, waving awkwardly. Barely sparing her a glance, the woman reached out and grabbed Henry, pulling him into an embrace.

“Where were you?” she asked him, her voice shaking. Henry didn’t answer, pulling away. She gave him a look so full of love Emma could almost see the younger, pre-marriage Regina. Then the Queen turned to the stranger standing on her porch, moving to stand between her and Henry.

“Who are you and what were you doing with my son?” Regina crossed her arms over her chest and glowered, and Emma felt that familiar shiver of fear down her spine. She was standing in front of the Evil Queen, an uninvited guest. She was so dead.

“You’re the Mayor, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am. Now tell me who you are before I have Sheriff Graham arrest you for kidnapping.”

“You can’t do that!” Henry burst out, shoving past her and standing in front of Emma. “You’re not even my mom! She is! And she didn’t kidnap me, I kidnapped her!” Regina’s lips parted slightly, her dark eyes glistening as she moved her gaze from Henry to Emma and back, searching for similarities.

“You’re Henry’s birth mother?” Her voice held sadness and steel, but before Emma could answer, Graham stepped around Regina and onto the porch.

“Well, Madame Mayor, it looks like I'm not needed at the moment,” he said. “I’ll leave you all to sort out this family drama. Call me if you need me.”

Emma and Regina stood in silence, staring at each other. Emma got the distinct impression Regina wanted to kill her. She, meanwhile, was staring at the woman’s bright red lips and imagining some NSFW scenarios. Gods, the Queen was even more gorgeous in person. She was so screwed.   
  



	5. Regina

“So…” Emma drawled, slouching slightly and stuffing her fingers in her the back pockets. “I doubt you want to have a screaming match on the porch for your whole town to see, and we do need to talk, I guess. May I come in?” Why, why, why did she say that? Was she trying piss off the Queen even more? Because this was not Regina standing before her, but the Evil Queen. The woman's walls were up so high Rapunzel wouldn't be able to help her.

“Fine.” Regina bit the word off with a haughty glare, stepping aside and sweeping her arm back to invite Emma in. “Welcome to Storybrooke, Miss…?”

Henry stepped in warily, and Emma followed, doing her best to not stare at the grandeur of the Mayor’s mansion.

“Swan. Er, Emma Swan," she muttered distractedly. She gave up and spun slowly, taking in all of the ornate decorations and the regal black-and-white theme. “This place is really,  _ really  _ nice.”

“I’m so happy you like it.” Regina grumbled through gritted teeth. “Henry, I need to talk to Miss Swan alone right now. Go to your room. I’ll talk to you later.” Henry gave Emma an apologetic look and raced up the stairs, somehow managing to lose a shoe along the way.

“Oh Gods he is my kid,” Emma mumbled, grimacing slightly at the realization her clumsiness was genetic.

“No, Henry is MY son,” Regina hissed, suddenly in the intruding blonde’s face. “YOU gave him up. You have no right to come here and try to take him from me!”

“Woah, woah, calm down. I’m not here to… take him from you. I have no clue how to be a mother! He’s a ten year old who showed up at my place all alone. I couldn’t just pack him off on a bus! He came and found me, not the other way around.”

Regina backed off just as suddenly as she’d attacked, and Emma watched in confusion as the anger drained out of the brunette and she turned her back, hiding her face. Regina walked into the living room, shoulders hunched, and Emma followed slowly, half-expecting a surprise fireball attack, or at least a lobbed high heel. Instead, the dejected woman slumped down onto the couch, wrapping her arms around her waist as if to comfort herself.

“He hates me,” Regina whispered, looking so vulnerable Emma was scared she’d break. Her anger had made her look every inch the Queen Emma knew her to be, but now she was just… broken. Human. Regina wasn't just some character in a book as she'd been trying to make her her whole life. She was real.

“I don’t think he hates you,” Emma started, cautiously sitting beside her. She reached out a tentative hand and placed it on the woman’s back, rubbing small, slow circles. “I mean, you raised him. Sure, he thinks you’re the Evil--”  _ Oh Gods my clumsiness even extends to my tongue.  _

“He thinks I’m the Evil Queen,” Regina finished with a hoarse voice, her head hanging low. She tilted her head slightly to look up at the woman who had single-handedly ruined everything. “And he thinks you’re the  _ Savior _ .” She laughed bitterly and lunged off the couch and away from the person trying to comfort her.

“Wait, he thinks I’m the what now?”

“The Savior,” Regina declared grandly, a smile plastered on her face, yet another mask to hide the pain. “You are here to break my curse and set free all the people I have imprisoned. You’re here to save your family, Henry’s  _ real  _ family, from me. You’re here to turn the town against me, and my son along with them. You’re here to replace me. You’re here to--”

“What if I don’t want any of that?” Emma asked quietly, a strange fire in her eyes.

“And why wouldn’t you?”

“I’m not someone who handles responsibility well,” Emma sighed, sinking down into the couch. “I don’t want to be some kind of ‘Savior’ and I sure as Hades don’t want to meet my family.”

Regina sat down on the couch again, feeling a small twinge of hope.  _ Maybe she’ll leave and never return. Maybe I’ll get to stay here with Henry _ . “Do tell, Miss Swan. You got to see my little breakdown. Your turn.”

“When you thought I was here to take Henry from you, you said I had no right to do so. And I agree. My parents abandoned me just like I abandoned him. But at least I had the decency to not leave him by the side of the road.” It was Emma’s turn to laugh bitterly. “I don’t care what their reason was. I  _ never  _ want to meet my parents.” Regina noticed the blonde’s furrowed brow and surly expression, and a small smirk began to form. It seemed her curse would stay in place after all.

“Don’t say that!” Henry yelled, causing both women to jump. Apparently he’d been hiding on the stairs, listening. “Snow White didn’t want to abandon you! She had to do it to save you, and everyone else, from  _ her  _ curse!” He jabbed an accusatory finger at his adoptive mother, and the smirk slid off her face.

“There’s no way leaving me on the side of the road was their only option,” Emma said before Regina could figure out how to respond to Henry. “They took the easy way out.”

“Emma--”

“It’s been a long day, kid.” Emma stood and started walking to the door. “You said I could get a room at Granny’s, right?” She didn’t wait for a response, only pausing to give him a tight smile before slipping out the door, a lonely click signaling her departure.

“Henry--”

“Just leave me alone!” Henry screamed before turning and rushing up the stairs. Regina flinched when she heard his door slam, so loud she slapped her hands over her ears. Her vision blurred as the slam echoed, and the painted walls of her home turned to the large grey stones of familiar castle walls, her hardwood floor was covered with a thick, dusty carpet, the furniture was gone, replaced with the ornate furnishings of her room at the castle. She trembled.  _ He was angry with her. He'd slammed the door. He was coming back soon, and then... _

She stumbled back to the couch and fell onto it, still covering her ears, trying to block out everything that had just happened, real and imagined. She shoved the ghosts of memories back, back into her mind. Trying to forget. She reached for her anger and let it drown out the pain. Anger and hatred were better than that pain. Anything was better than that pain.

“I can’t lose my son,” she whispered to the empty room. “I can’t.” She sat that way for several minutes, curled into herself, eyes staring unfocused at the floor. A faint touch tickled her back, and she jumped, whipping her head around to stare at the space the Savior had occupied less than an hour before. “I won’t let you take him, Miss Swan,” she hissed to the now-unoccupied space. “You won’t get my son.”   
  



	6. Granny's

“Hey, you’re the one who checked in last night, right?”

Emma looked up to see a lanky brunette with a bright red streak through her hair. The woman was wearing what could maybe pass for a waitress uniform, or at least the slutty Halloween version. A nametag on her shirt said her name was Ruby. Emma nodded mutely, amazed that the elderly woman who ran the diner allowed her worker to wear such an outfit, and Ruby slid into the booth opposite her. Then she recognized her. Oh.  _ Oh _ . Granny was  _ that _ Granny. This was Little Red Riding Hood. Also known as Red, the werewolf who'd helped Snow White so many times.

“I’m Ruby Lucas, but you can just call me Ruby. I think your name was… Emma?”

“Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you, Ruby.” Emma took a hesitant sip of her hot cocoa with cinnamon, eyeing the woman opposite her warily. How many of her powers did she still unknowingly retain?

“We don’t get visitors here very often. Well, never, really. Where are you from?” Ruby grinned eagerly. She had always wanted to travel, but never seemed able to pull herself away from Storybrooke.

“I’ve moved around a lot, but I’ve been living in Boston recently. What about you?” Emma Swan did not like talking about herself.

“Oh, I’ve lived here for as long as I can remember. I’m pretty much stuck working in this crappy little diner--”

“You call  _ that  _ working?” Granny interrupted from behind the counter. “If you weren’t my granddaughter I’d have fired you a long time ago, Ruby. Now bring this food over to Mary Margaret.”

Ruby scowled at the old woman but slid out of the booth, telling Emma she’d talk to her again later. She watched as the waitress grabbed a plate of pancakes and whisked it over to a young woman sitting at a table near the front of the room. With her (now short) black hair and pale skin Emma knew her immediately. Snow White. Her mother.  _ Let’s not dwell on that thought too long _ . Emma quickly finished eating and meandered over to the table Mary Margaret was at. She didn't really want to talk to the woman, but she needed to take care of something.

It's bad enough her grandmother was Miss Steal Yo Man, her mother a bandit, and herself a petty thief (the car was already stolen, it doesn't count). The stealing didn't need to continue. Henry stealing someone's identity once was enough. Maybe if she paid her back it wouldn't count.

“Uh, hi.” The woman looked up, startled, and Emma couldn’t help but stare. She had always done her best not to look at Snow White. She was familiar in a way, a distorted echo of the reflection that stared back at Emma anytime she looked in the mirror. Her hazel eyes were a pale imitation of Emma’s bright green ones, and the blonde realized she had her nose and chin. The woman’s eyes roved over her own face, but Emma couldn’t tell if she saw the similarity. “You’re Henry Mills’ teacher, Miss Blanchard?”

“Oh! Um, yes. Do I… know you?” Mary Margaret reached out and fiddled with her coffee mug as Emma gave her an awkward smile and sat down in the chair opposite her.

“Not really. I’m Emma Swan, Henry’s birth mother.”

The woman gasped and placed a hand over her chest. “He found you?”

Emma let out a quiet bark of laughter. “Yup. Kid managed to get all the way to Boston without anyone knowing.”

“So that’s why he was absent yesterday.”

“Yeah. And it turns out he found me using this.” Emma slipped something out of her pocket and slid it across the table to Mary Margaret.

“This is my credit card…” She pulled her wallet out and rifled through it before slipping the card back inside, a light blush on her face. “I hadn’t even noticed it was missing.”

Emma watched her a moment, amused. Bandit Snow gave birth to a shoplifter and the shoplifter gave birth to an identity thief. She wondered if Snow was clumsy, too. But she shook her head. This was Mary Margaret, not Snow White. And what Emma had told Regina was true-- she really didn’t want to meet her parents.

“Anyway,” Emma said abruptly. She pulled a small white card out of her pocket and handed it to Mary Margaret. “Once you know how much Henry’s little quest cost you, just contact me and I’ll repay every penny.”

Mary Margaret looked like she was about to speak, but--

“Miss Swan. I see you’re still here.”

The women at the table looked up to see Regina, who was now bearing down on them like a storm, a dangerous glint in her dark eyes and her lips curled back in disgust.

“Well I never said I was leaving, now did I, Regina?” Emma grinned slightly even as the brunette’s eyes narrowed.

“G-good morning, Madame Mayor!”

“Miss Blanchard.” Regina acknowledged in surprise. She had honed in on the blonde even before she’d come in and she hadn’t noticed the meek school teacher. “What are you doing here?”

“Uhm, I was just eating breakfast and Emma came over to return my credit card. Apparently Henry used it to find her and she wanted to make sure I was paid back so… uhm… yeah.” She cut off her own rambling and her eyes quickly left Regina to stare resolutely down at the table.

“Miss Swan,” Regina began, rounding on Emma. The mayor looked ready for a fight, her hands on her hips and her brow quirked in challenge. “Did you think I would be unable to refund Miss Blanchard for MY son’s little excursion?”

“Oh, relax,  _ Madame Mayor _ . I’ve seen your house. I just didn’t think you should have to pay for something that was used to get me here since you obviously hate me. Plus I was the one who opted for a closed adoption in the first place, so the majority of the money spent was solely my fault.”

Regina blinked. Emma was being surprisingly considerate, and she didn’t seem at all miffed that Regina didn’t like her. What kind of person--

A low rumbling filled the diner, and the mayor whipped around to stare out the window. A man on a motorbike had pulled up outside, his face obscured by a sleek black helmet. He parked the monstrosity and hopped off, pulling his helmet off and placing it on one of the handles.

When he opened the door to Granny’s the mayor felt her heart stutter in her chest. She didn’t recognize him. Two new people had come to her town in as many days. How had he gotten past the town line? First the Saviour, and now this cocky-looking man with too-blue eyes. The clock tower chimed in the distance and Regina jumped slightly. When had time started moving again?   
  



	7. Mr. Stalker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to post a chapter every Monday, though the actual time of day will be random. Sometimes I'll (hopefully) have it pre-written and post in the morning, but sometimes (like today) I won't, so I'll post it later in the day.
> 
> Happy readings! X)

“Hello again, Emma.” The man sauntered up to the table, an approving look coming into his eyes as he noticed who Emma was sitting with.

“Do I know you?” Emma asked warily. She could handle the Queen. Well, probably. Hopefully. Someone she knew nothing about, on the other hand… 

“Yup.” The man grinned and reached back as if to pull up a chair.

“Well then, why don’t you introduce yourself to the rest of us?” Regina said darkly. Startled, the man spun to face her, the color draining from his face as he stumbled back a step. So. He knew who she was then. That couldn’t be good.

“Yeah, Mr. Stalker, why don’t you tell us your name instead of just creepily knowing mine? I know for a fact we’ve never met.” Emma leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, leveling a glare at the stranger. Why wasn’t her lie detector pinging?

Mary Margaret looked like she wanted to flee, but to leave she’d have to awkwardly go around everyone or pass between the stranger and the mayor, so she stayed put.

“We have, Emma. You just don’t remember.”

“And he gets even creepier. Thank you so much for bringing a stalker to my town, Miss Swan.” Regina rolled her eyes. Why was all of this happening now? Maybe karma was real. Damn it.

“I’m not a stalker! I mean, yeah I’ve kinda been keeping an eye on Emma since-- I mean, for awhile. But it was just to make sure she was okay.” August shifted uncomfortably. Even Snow White was giving him a strange look now.

“So you HAVE been stalking her.” Mary Margaret didn’t know why, but she felt a fierce need to protect this blonde woman. “What the hell is wrong with you?!” She slammed her hand on the table and everyone in Granny’s stopped and stared. Mary Margaret didn’t get mad. Like, ever. What was going on? 

Only Emma noticed when Regina flinched slightly at the loud noise. 

Before fists (or arrows) could start flying, she intervened. “So, what is your name, anyway?” The brunettes both looked at her incredulously. She shrugged. “You know what they say. Keep your friends close and your stalkers… well, I need a name for the restraining order at least.”

Regina smirked and Mary Margaret bit back a smile. The stranger just frowned.

“My name is August. August Booth.”

“Well, August August Booth, I can’t exactly say it’s a pleasure to meet you, now can I?” Emma smirked, a twinkle in her eyes. She was enjoying this. She knew she shouldn’t be, but it was fun to mess with this guy. It felt strangely… justified.

“Emma,” August said with a sigh. 

Which… that tone of voice sounded familiar to Emma… just… what was it? Then, a flash of memory: nighttime, a bridge, burning books, a young man with too-blue eyes.

“Oh Gods you have been stalking me. What the hell, man?” Emma was suddenly up and out of her chair, and she grabbed the man’s arm in a tight grip. “We’re going to go have a little… chat, now. If you’ll both excuse us.” She nodded slightly to the teacher and the mayor before leading a frightened August out of Granny’s, a dangerous edge to her smile.

***

“I’m Pinocchio!” August blurted.

He and Emma were in a small alley not far from Granny’s, and Emma had him pinned to the rough brick wall as she debated whether she should punch him in the face repeatedly or kick him where it would really hurt. He, meanwhile, was frozen in place by the maniacal look on her face. Maybe he should have kept a closer eye on her.

“...What?”

“I-- I got sent through the wardrobe with you when you were a baby. I was just a little kid. I was supposed to look after you but the foster home was so bad, and the other kids were leaving and they wouldn’t let me take a baby so…” He shrugged helplessly, a what-was-I-supposed-to-do kinda look on his face.

“So lemme guess.” Emma quirked a brow. “You ditched a defenseless infant to save your own sorry skin.” Emma backed off and crossed her arms over her chest again. If August had stayed, she could have had someone to look out for her, to help her. He could have been like a brother. But instead he left her all alone. Maybe if he’d stayed she wouldn’t have thought she was crazy for so long. Hell, she still thought she was crazy, and she’d just come from talking with the Queen and a cursed Snow White. And a man claiming to be Pinocchio was standing in front of her. Maybe she’d finally lost it and was actually hallucinating in the asylum. That seemed more likely than what actually seemed to be happening right now.

“But now I’m back. I’m here to help you break the curse.” August gave what he considered to be his most charming smile, but Emma just continued glaring.

“Well congratulations, puppet boy. You came back. Now you can go away again.” And with that, she turned to leave.

“Wait, Emma, listen!” August exclaimed, reaching out and grabbing her arm. Emma whirled around and punched him square in the jaw. The pain in her fist was nothing but satisfaction.

“Hand off, puppet boy.” Her voice was a throaty growl, her eyes narrow slits.

“Okay, okay, sorry!” August rubbed at his jaw with the hand that had caused all the trouble. “But I really am back now, and I will help you break the curse if you’ll let me.”

“Hmmm. Let me think about it… no.”

“Wait. You already believe in the curse?” August asked in shock. Emma nodded. “Then why don’t you want help to break it?”

“I don’t want any help breaking it because I don’t plan on breaking it at all. When you grow up all alone you learn real fast you can only watch out for yourself. Why the hell would I break a curse that would put me on the receiving end of the Queen’s wrath?”

“But… you’re the saviour.” August looked shocked. Then again, a fairy tale character pretty much has to believe in fate and whatnot. And right now, fate seemed to be… wrong?

“Yeah, don’t care. Just get lost already. It’s what you’re good at, isn’t it?” Emma left the alley with a half-assed backwards wave. She didn’t want to break the curse, even if freaking Pinocchio said she was the saviour. Although, Regina had said Henry had called her that as well. Ugh. She needed a break from fairy tales and she’d only been in town for a day.

Neither Emma nor August had noticed the eavesdropper at the end of the alley. Apparently, when she didn’t have time to sic Sidney on a case, Regina did the dirty work herself. And oh, what delicious news she’d found. The saviour didn’t want to break the curse, and Pinocchio had grown up to be a useless stalker of an adult. Whatever would the Blue Fairy think of her creation now?


	8. Magic is in the Air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It's late but still technically Monday... heh heh oops... But also I think I finally know the plot of this story so that's good, right? >x<

Emma had been in this wacky little town for three days now. Day one she got to meet her stalker, Pinoccio, and one of her parents. Day two she tried to stay inside Granny’s to take a break from the crazy, but when she heard high heels coming down the hallway to her room she climbed out of her window and ended up wandering around town for a few hours to avoid anyone who actually knew her. Now it was day three of this weird trip and she was sitting in a cell in the sheriff’s station with zero memory of how she got there. Fun.

She sat on the small mattress, her back against the wall and her arms looped around her left knee as her other leg dangled towards the floor. She knew she should be freaking out-- Regina most likely wanted her dead and now she was locked up in her pet sheriff’s cage, but Emma was too distracted to ponder what gruesome fate might await her. She could _ see _ the magic swirling in the air.

Like, actually freaking see it.

When the kid had called this place the Land Without Magic, she’d automatically questioned him because she’d always been able to sense… something. Shortly after she’d started writing _ Once Upon a Time _ she’d come to the conclusion it was magic. She couldn’t interact with it at all; it seemed too weak for that. More like a memory of magic than anything corporeal, but it was there. Emma had felt the change in the atmosphere when she entered Storybrooke, and apparently after being here a few days her eyes had adjusted. To see magic. 

So cool.

Pulsing white lines spiderwebbed across the ground, walls, and ceiling. A glass of water on the desk across the room emanated a cool blue glow. The plant in the corner had little green and yellow orbs of light floating around it. The air itself held all kinds of swirling colors, some of which Emma couldn’t even name.

She raised her right hand and reached into a pocket of dark purple magic, shivering as it slipped through her fingers and swirled down her wrist. Shocked, she watched as it became tinted with a pure white glow that seeped from her skin. What the hell?

“Good morning, Miss Swan.”

Emma jumped and looked up, a guilty expression on her face as she quickly pulled her hand back. The magic clung to it, but she decided to ignore that for now. Regina was standing on the other side of the bars, looking down at her with a smirk on her face. “Madame Mayor. To what do I owe the pleasure?” she drawled, nerves settling as she realized the Queen couldn’t see the magic. A product of the curse, perhaps?

“Well, I don’t know how things work where you come from, Miss Swan, but around here we don’t really like it when people crash into our town sign while driving drunk.” 

Emma frowned. She didn’t remember trying to leave town. Or getting drunk. And since she also didn’t have a hangover, that ruled out being blackout drunk. Plus Regina looked way too happy about this. She’d probably set her up. Emma sighed. This sucked.

“Why are you so hellbent on destroying me or whatever?” Emma groused, thudding her head back against the wall and glaring at the mayor. “I already told you: I’m not here to break your curse, or take your son. Gods, just leave me alone!”

Regina merely raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry, dear. I don’t understand. What exactly do I have to do with your poor decision making skills?” Seriously, what was this crazy blonde talking about? If Regina wanted to destroy her she’d be dust, not locked up in a flimsy cell.

“I have no memory of trying to leave town, and I don’t have a hangover. Ergo, I did not drink last night, or at least not enough to forget what I was doing. Meaning, Mayor ‘I shall destroy your happiness’ Mills, that _ you _ did something.”

Regina just blinked at her. How did the saviour know what she’d said all those years ago? Pinoccio wouldn’t have known, and Emma hadn’t even been born yet. Was someone else awake? “Gold,” she muttered, looking to the side and narrowing her eyes. That sneaky little imp. He wanted her curse to break! But why? What could he possibly--

“Gold? What are you over there mumbling about, Your Majesty?”

“Even if you are some kind of-- of saviour, you shouldn’t believe in the curse already! You grew up in this magicless world--so someone must be telling you things. Why else would you so willingly believe in magic and curses?” Regina was gesturing wildly with her hands, pacing back and forth in front of the cell. “It has to be Gold. He’s conspiring against me and you’re helping him. You’re--”

“Woah woah woah. Slow your roll, there, queenie. I haven’t even met Gold yet. And I mean, he only helps people when it will benefit him. Kinda the number one rule of being the Dark One. Well that and like killing people and giving off a creepy murder vibe, but-- what? Why are you looking at me like that?” Emma stopped mid rant tilted her head at Regina. “Seriously, what?”

Regina blinked at her a moment, face perfectly blank. “First of all… queenie? _ Really _?”

“Calling you ‘Madame Mayor’ and ‘Your Majesty’ takes too long.” Emma pouted and crossed her arms.

“I have a name,” Regina growled, hands on her hips.

“Okay, fine, _ Regina _, I can assure you I am not working with the freaking Dark One. I may not be the smartest person in the world--” Regina scoffed, and Emma scowled, “--rude, but I’m also not an idiot. He only uses people to further his own goals. Why else would he help back you into a corner to the point where you felt your only option to escape was to kill your fa--.” Emma stopped and looked resolutely at the floor. Fuck. She used to think she was good at lying, including lies of omission, but apparently not. Damn it.

“And that leads us to the second question. If you aren’t working with the Dark One, how do you know all of this?” Regina sneered down at the woman in the cell. Did Emma really think she was that stupid? She’d cast a curse that traversed realms for crying out loud!

Emma stared at Regina a moment, befuddled. The woman knew Henry thought she was the Evil Queen. Did she not know how he even knew about all of this? “You… you’re seriously telling me you haven’t read it?” She was pretty sure by now even those who hadn’t read the book or seen the movie knew all of the major plot points. There were way too many Oncers for there to be someone who didn’t know.

“Haven’t read what?” Regina asked impatiently. She frowned at Emma, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

“_ Once Upon a Time _.” At Regina’s lack of recognition, Emma explained. “It’s a book. A ridiculously popular book. Everyone knows about it, even if they try not to.” Silence. “How do you think Henry even knows about the Evil Queen and the curse?”

“My son isn’t exactly forthcoming at the moment, Miss Swan. He sees me as the enemy. Or have you already forgotten the little tantrum he threw when you brought him back?” Regina did her best to rein in the anger she was feeling, to not let it show. She needed to understand more about this book, so killing Emma Swan wasn’t an option right now. Unfortunately.

“You actually haven’t heard of it? How… y’know what, I’m just gonna assume it’s a curse thing. Though that does raise the question of how the ki-- Henry got the book. Look, just Google the title and read the Wikipedia page or something. I wouldn’t recommend watching the movie though-- they got it all kinds of wrong.”

“Just tell me what it is and I’ll have the Sheriff let you out when he gets here.” Regina rolled her eyes. Why couldn’t people just tell you what you need to know instead of telling you to look elsewhere? It wouldn’t take all that much longer. Also, where the hell was Graham? She’d told him to stay put to keep an eye on the blonde flight risk.

“_ Once Upon a Time _ is your story,” Emma said.

“Meaning what, exactly? It’s the story of the evil step-mother who hunted her poor, innocent step-daughter for no reason other than to satisfy her own vanity?” Regina sneered at the memories of that insipid movie (though to be honest she’d quite enjoyed the foolish portrayal of Snow) that Henry had adored for a short time. She turned to leave the woman in her cage, done with this realm’s idiotic portrayals of their so-called fairy tales.

“It’s the story of an idealistic girl in love with a stable boy,” Emma started quietly as Regina froze mid stride, “who loses him to her cruel mother because of a child’s ignorance and is then forced to marry a man thrice her age. It’s the story of her survival when her world was so full of darkness she couldn’t breathe without its black tendrils wrapping around her heart.

“It’s a story about having to grow up overnight. About having to bury who you once were as deep as possible because you realize the world is too cruel for that naive young girl to survive. It’s a tale of loss and tragedy, of living a life with no hope of a better tomorrow. Of being manipulated and driven half mad until you finally take the only route to freedom you can find even when it means losing the only person you have left. It’s your story, Regina.”

Regina stayed facing the door, trying to delude herself into thinking she had the choice to leave. To walk out and never have to face Emma Swan or her own past ever again. But she knew she couldn’t. She’d traveled to another realm and her past had managed to follow her. Only this time it was in the form of a young woman inextricably tied to the only person she could find it within herself to love. Her son.

Before she could even begin to formulate a response to Emma’s speech, the town drunk, Leroy, stumbled through the door, a frightful look on his face. “Dead body!” he gasped. Sweat was pouring down his face and he was doubled over, hands on his knees. “There’s… a dead body… in the graveyard!”

Regina heard Emma snort. “Yeah, that doesn’t seem like news worthy of sprinting over here, dude.”

“It’s Sheriff Graham!” Leroy sputtered, desperate.

“What?” Regina barked at him. The poor man looked at her in shock, but scary mayor or no, she was pretty much the only authority left in this town.

“Archie’s dog Pongo ran away and he followed him and they wound up in the cemetery. Th-the Sheriff was just lying on the steps of that huge mausoleum… and there’s no… he wasn’t… he’s dead!” Leroy garbled. No one had ever died in Storybrooke before. Ever. It wasn’t a thing that happened. They had a cemetery but they had no funerals. Which… didn’t make sense… but… “He’s dead.” Leroy repeated.

_ Click _. Regina turned at the sound and watched silently as Emma Swan waltzed out of the cell she’d apparently been able to unlock this entire time.

“Let’s go check it out!” Emma said excitedly. When Regina just narrowed her eyes at her, she pointed to the cell and then to the camera in the corner. “Thanks for the alibi, by the way. Now, since my car is apparently wrecked and I already know there’s no way you’d let me drive your Benz, I call shotgun!”

And because she honestly didn’t know what to do in this situation, Regina found herself driving to the crime scene with Emma Swan in the passenger seat, bouncing up and down like an excited puppy. What was wrong with this woman?

***

BONUS:

Emma: *walks out of cell with a fabulous hair flip*  
Regina: *hands on her hips* Really, Miss Swan?   
Emma: What? At least I’m not the one who came to alert the Sheriff’s Station that the Sheriff is dead. I mean, I haven’t seen any deputies, so… who exactly were you hoping to find here, Leroy?   
Emma & Regina: (ಠ_ಠ) (ಠ_ಠ)   
Leroy: Don’t look at me like that… I’m the town drunk, whaddaya expect? Plus I actually did find the mayor so ha!   
Regina: The dwarf has a point.   
Leroy: Exactly--wait what did you just call me? (ʘᗩʘ')


	9. Congratulations, Miss Swan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It's shorter than I want, but I have a lot of hw I need to work on, so... I'll try for at least five pages next week? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

When Regina pulled into the cemetery parking lot she immediately spotted the crowd of townsfolk. Just as the dwarf had said, they were surrounding the entrance to her family mausoleum. She stopped the car and unbuckled her seatbelt, flinching slightly when Emma slammed the car door. Before she could yell at her, a blonde head poked in through the open window.

“Sorry, queenie. I mean, Regina. I’m used to old junkers, not fancy schmancy Benz..ss. Benzes? Benzeses? What even… oh whatever you get it. Now hurry up I wanna see the body!” Emma grinned. She’d never liked the Huntsman. Not to say that she agreed with the Queen turning him into her puppet, but still.

Regina got out of her car and eased the door closed, a brow raised at Emma. The woman just gave her a sheepish grin while bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Why exactly are you so eager to see a dead body?”

“Well, unlike  _ some people who will not be named _ ,” Emma gave the Queen a pointed look, “I’ve never killed anyone, much less seen a dead body irl. Uh, irl means in real li--”

“I know what it means, Miss Swan. I’ve lived here for 28 years, or have you already forgotten? Now, let’s go deal with this before we have an amnesiac riot over there being a murderer in town when nearly everyone here has killed at least once anyway.” Regina swept past Emma towards the crowd, stuffing her black leather gloves into the pockets of her coat. She knew she’d essentially just admitted her curse was real, but since Emma already believed in it there really wasn’t any point to denying it. At least now she had someone who would understand her complaints (and occasional snarky jokes). She shook her head to clear it after that particular thought. She had a murder to focus on. And for once, she was not the culprit. She couldn’t help but find it… annoying.

The townspeople parted when they noticed the mayor coming, the stranger in tow. None of them really knew what to think of Mayor Mills, though as soon as they saw her most of them had the disturbing thought that maybe she had killed the Sheriff. Though, since he was basically her errand boy they quickly dispelled that thought. Thanks to the curse, none of them bothered to wonder where the thought had come from in the first place.

“Madame Mayor!” Dr. Hopper exhaled in relief. Finally, someone who might know what to do! “I’m so happy you’re here! Or, well, I mean I’m not happy about the situation, but… well… Um…”

Regina cut a glance at the cricket before brushing past him to kneel beside Graham’s body. She didn’t bother checking for a pulse; the man was already turning blue from the chill. Having been an avid watcher of crime shows since she’d accidently discovered one (she totally hadn’t Googled ‘murder’ while being sentimental about her past, oh no), Regina immediately began to visually examine the body, looking for any apparent cause of death. Only, she didn’t see anything.

“I don’t see anything,” Emma whispered, unknowingly echoing Regina’s thoughts. “I mean I was expecting some blood at least. Maybe some x-rated gore. This is boring.”

Regina rolled her eyes and stood. “Dr. Hopper, please call the hospital and tell whoever picks up to have the ambulance come to the cemetery and to bring a body bag. We’ll have Dr. Whale perform an autopsy, and should he find the Sheriff died from anything other than natural causes we will have an investigation.”

“Right away, Madame Mayor.” Archie nodded and scampered off to find a quieter area. And cell service.

“Madame Mayor!” 

Regina turned at the call and watched as two young children pushed their way to the front of the crowd. Hansel and Gretel, she realised after a moment. She hadn’t even known they were in this realm. 

“How are you going to have an investigation without a Sheriff?” Gretel asked, accusation ripe in her tone. Seeing the mayor always made her angry, and afraid, but with practically the whole town behind her she felt safe enough to challenge the woman.

“What are your names?” Regina demanded, completely ignoring the question. Fairy tale kids or not, they shouldn’t be casually gawking at a dead body with the rest of the town idiots.

“I asked a question first!” Gretel whined.

“I’m Nicholas Zimmer and this is my sister Ava,” the boy, Nicholas, said quietly. The mayor was scary enough to get him to talk, and he was hoping she’d make them leave. He hadn’t wanted to come see the dead body Leroy was hollering about in the streets, but Ava made him.

“Thank you, Nicholas.” Regina smiled slightly at the boy, thinking more of how similar he was to Henry than of her actual interactions with him as Hansel. “As for your question, Ava, I will simply choose a temporary Sheriff until we can hold an election.”

“Let me guess-- you’re choosing Sydney.” A familiar little voice said darkly. Regina watched in shock as Henry slipped out of the crowd.

“Henry Daniel Mills what are you doing here?” Regina hissed, furious. Her son should not be anywhere near a dead body! And how was he even here? She had walked him to the bus stop an hour ago!

“I was getting off the bus when I heard Leroy yelling. I wanted to come see if it was something that could help break the curse.” Henry was glaring at her, and when he mentioned the curse the crowd went quiet. 

They all knew of the odd ramblings of Henry Mills, and they also all knew to keep their mouths shut about it. If they told him he was crazy, the mayor would see it as an attack on her son. If they lied and said they believed him, that his mother was really the Evil Queen from the fairy tale, then the mayor would see it as an attack on herself. It was a lose-lose situation when the mayor was as terrifying as Mayor Mills.

Regina  _ had _ actually been planning on instating Sydney as Sheriff. But with her son glaring at her like she was evil incarnate, and with the little voice in her head reminding her how annoying she already found the former djinn and that giving him more authority would just increase the amount of time she had to spend around him, she came up with an alternative.

“Sydney would make a terrible Sheriff,” Emma whispered suddenly. “I mean, I know you think he’s capable of following me around discreetly, but I made him in like five minutes the second day I was here. Nice of you to give me yet another stalker, by the way. Really inflating my ego.” Apparently choosing to ignore her little rant, Regina turned to Emma with a wide grin that Emma could only think of as pure evil. And Gods, was it hot. Er… no, that thought was not conducive to her survival. Emma closed her eyes and attempted to banish the gay from her brain. It worked for about five seconds until Regina’s smoky voice brought it screaming back in.

“Congratulations, Miss Swan. You’re now the temporary Sheriff of Storybrooke.”

Emma laughed. Out loud. Then stopped when no one else was laughing with her. “Wait you’re serious?”

“As a heart attack,” Regina purred.

Which is partly why, when Emma received the autopsy report the next day, she gulped so hard her throat was sore for a moment. 

The Huntsman had died of a heart attack. 

Aka the real-world equivalent of the Queen’s signature move.

What had Emma gotten herself into?

  
  



	10. Backspace, Delete, Command Z, Unsend!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a test Monday and it threw everything off track. I'm just going to update on Saturdays now. (-3-)

“Regina.”

The mayor kept her head down, focusing more intently on her paperwork. Thank the gods that her curse had frozen time. Dealing with the death of a town official meant mountains of paperwork. And as if the tiny little words swimming around on the papers in front of her weren’t enough to give her a headache, there was also a much bigger, much louder annoyance.

“Reginaaaa. Quit ignoring me. I’m bored.” Emma was sitting at the desk across from her, signing papers as she passed them over. “This is so booooriiiinnngg. I think Dr. Whale was wrong. The Huntsman died of boredom, not a heart attack.”

“Miss Swan,” Regina started, raising her head to glare at the incessant blonde, “will you kindly be quiet. Believe it or not, I don’t find doing paperwork whilst blocking out your whining to be particularly exciting either.” Emma didn’t respond, instead pouting as she tilted her chair back. If she fell Regina was going to laugh, _ especially _ if she hurt herself. “Besides, you shouldn’t be the one complaining. All of this is your fault.”

Emma crashed her chair back down. “Excuse me? How the hell is this on me? I didn’t decide to go kill a guy! This is on you!”

“I didn’t kill Graham,” Regina said quietly, watching Emma. Did the woman really think she’d risk pushing Henry further away than he already was? “And if you hadn’t come here and started time moving again none of the residents would even be able to die. Though regardless of the truth, I suppose I’ll get all the blame, as per usual.” She muttered the last part, but judging by Emma’s small sigh she’d heard her.

“Okay. I believe you.”

Regina snorted. “If only it were that simple.”

“I can tell when you’re lying, and you’re telling the truth. You didn’t kill the Huntsman. Although that means that someone else did. Which means they need to be caught. And you for some reason decided to make me the sheriff, so… I guess I have to catch them. Shit.” Emma dropped her head onto the desk and went quiet.

After fifteen minutes of Emma not moving, Regina went from relieved to slightly worried. Which she found to be supremely annoying. Why was she worried over this mess of a person? She placed the last paper that needed to be signed on the small stack Emma had been ignoring, then decided the best way to rouse the woman was to poke her in the neck with the tip of her pen.

Emma jolted a bit and raised her head to look at the mayor. “Did you just… poke me with a pen? Why would you give me an ink hickey? I would’ve preferred a real one. Oof I didn’t mean to say that. Ignore that. Backspace, delete, command z, unsend!”

“First, this is real life and those are not options. Second, what is a hickey?” Regina was looking at her in utter confusion. She’d watched crime shows and little kid shows (because of Henry), and she hadn’t heard that term before. Or if she had she’d dismissed it. So why did this word make Emma look like a frightened rabbit before a wolf?

“You… don’t know what a… y’know what? I’mma just go with it. It’s not something you need (or want) to know. So let’s just move on. Why did you poke me with a pen of all things?” Emma dispelled the gay panic and resolved to learn to censor herself. It was never something she’d been good at, and now it was probably gonna get her killed by a magical medieval monarch. Yay.

Regina narrowed her eyes at the infernal blonde and made a mental note to Google ‘hickey’ later. “Fine. Just sign these.” She pushed the papers forward and handed Emma the pen. Once the new sheriff had finished covering the pages in her messy scrawl, Regina stacked them neatly and put them away. “Now, why are you going to investigate the Hu-- the sheriff’s death, exactly?”

“Because he was murdered.” Emma blinked at her. Had the Queen somehow never seen a crime show? Emma kinda thought she’d be obsessed with them, honestly.

“He died of a heart attack, dear.” Regina raised a brow at Emma and folded her hands on the desk in front of her.

“We’re in a town with a crap ton of magic users.” Emma didn’t see where the mayor was going with this.

“We’re in a town full of cursed fairy tale characters,” Regina corrected. “Cursed, as in they don’t remember they’re from the Enchanted Forest or know that magic is even real, much less know how to use it to murder someone.”

“Well… you mentioned the Dark One earlier. How maybe he was awake. He has a penchant for killing people.”

“Only when it factors into a larger plan. How could killing the sheriff benefit him?” Regina pursed her lips as she considered her own question. Rumple set things in motion hundreds of years in advance, but had he planned for the post-curse world when he’d still had access to his stolen Sight?

“Maybe someone else is awake? I mean, Henry hasn’t exactly been discreet with his curse theory.” Emma grimaced slightly when her mention of Henry caused Regina to glower at her, quite murderously indeed. “Sorry, but it’s true.”

“Trust me, I know.” Regina rolled her eyes. This woman! “Why do you even care if someone killed the sheriff? You obviously didn’t care for him, and there’s no way the townspeople will expect you to do an investigation into a heart attack. Who could you even justifiably arrest in their eyes, Widow Lucas?”

Emma barked out a laugh, then stared at her in shocked realization. “Did you just… make a joke?” 

Regina’s eyes widened slightly at her own slip. She’d meant to keep things one hundred percent professional and now she was cracking jokes. Dammit.

“Anway,” Emma said quickly, a small smile still on her lips, “I think we need to find this killer before they kill someone else. I mean, if they just get away with it what’s stopping them from killing anyone they’d like? And if they’re someone you’ve pissed off, which let’s be honest there’s an astronomically high chance of that, you and Henry could be in danger. Especially if they have magic when you don’t.”

“Dammit.” Regina scowled at Emma. She hadn’t thought that far ahead yet, and now she was going to have to work with the savior to catch some random killer all because she’d foolishly appointed the woman sheriff. Karma really did exist. Fuck.

“Where is Henry, anyway?” Emma asked suddenly. “Doesn’t he usually get to your office a half hour after school lets out? It’s already 4:15.”

“He’s been going straight home since he read that damned book you wrote. I did tell him to text me when he got there, though.” Regina frowned and checked her phone. Nothing. “Call him,” she told Emma. “He hangs up when I call.”

“That little shit!” Emma exclaimed quietly.

“That’s my son you’re talking about,” Regina growled, though in the back of her mind she agreed (and decided that in some cases nature did win out over nurture). “Call him, Miss Swan.”

“Sorry. Seriously though, that’s hella rude. Also, what’s with the ‘Miss Swan’ thing? Right, right, calling him now.” Emma hurriedly pulled out her phone and speed dialed the kid. The phone rang and rang and rang before finally going to voicemail. “Okay, that’s weird. And a little worrying. Hold on.” She opened an app on her phone and pulled up the map with the tracker.

“What are you doing?” Regina snapped. All she could think was that Henry was gone for good this time. That she’d never see him again. That he hated her so much he’d--

“Where is this?” Emma interrupted her chaotic thoughts by shoving a brightly glowing phone in front of her face.

Regina scrutinized the map a moment, noting the little dot labeled ‘H’. “Did you put a tracker on my son?” She wanted to be angry, but she was too relieved to see he was at least still in town. Then all the little lines on the map started making sense and she was out of her chair and half-running out of the room, a confused sheriff behind her. 

“Regina?! What the hell?” Emma followed the clearly panicked mayor out of Town Hall and through the parking lot, where she barely managed to get in the passenger seat of the Benz before Regina was speeding off.

“Henry’s at the mines!” Regina yelled as the car swerved around one of the dwarves on a crosswalk. Henry was at the mines. The very dangerous, could-collapse-at-any-moment-now-that-time-was-moving-again mines. Shit shit shit!

“Shit!” Emma echoed. “Go faster!”


	11. The Suspicious Rock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Saturday update with ten whole minutes to spare! Whew.

When Henry noticed his birth mom and his mom getting along, he at first thought that maybe Emma had some kind of plan to break the curse and this was how it started. She was the saviour, after all. But then his mom made her sheriff, and instead of using her new authority to start some kind of campaign against the Evil Queen, she just started hanging out with her all the time. And now Emma was even telling him to treat his mom better cuz he was hurting her feelings. Evil didn’t have feelings! That was, like, one of the main things that made evil… well, evil! So Henry decided he needed to do something else, something bigger, because apparently bringing the saviour to his cursed town wasn’t enough.

After school had let out and Henry had said goodbye to his grandmother, Snow White (which kind of made him sad since she had no clue who he really was to her, but he told himself to turn it into determination cuz sitting around and moping wasn’t going to do anything), Henry climbed on his bike and rode to the mines. He figured, since his mom was trying to get them demolished, that there was something in there she didn’t want the saviour to find. And since the saviour didn’t seem to want to find whatever it was either, Henry would do it for her.

“You can do this,” Henry said to himself. “You have to.” Exploring the mines had seemed easy enough as just an idea-- he was the grandson of two great heroes and the son of the saviour, after all-- but actually standing in front of the dark entrance was creeping him out. He remembered how scared he’d been when his mom took his nightlight away to prepare him for a sleepover the next week; how he’d lain in bed in the dark for less than five minutes before running to her room and insisting him sleeping in there with her would work just as well to prepare him since that was essentially a sleepover as well. How she’d started to insist he try harder until she’d seen the fear in his eyes and immediately caved. 

How he wished he could believe she actually loved him as much as he'd thought she did before he knew she was the Evil Queen. Everyone knew evil couldn’t love, which meant she didn’t love him. So his only chance to have a family that did was to break her curse.

Henry squared his jaw and stepped into the mines, flicking on his flashlight almost immediately. He’d put fresh batteries in it that morning before school, so it should hold out long enough for him to find what he needed to prove the curse was real, or maybe even to break it altogether. 

As he went deeper into the mines, Henry began to have difficulty breathing. His chest felt like it was being squeezed, and for a moment his overactive mind conjured the image of a giant snake wrapped around him and constricting as tightly as possible. He shook his head and focused more on breathing slowly, in and out, in and out. 

He came to a large, natural cavern and shone the light all around, looking for anything out of the ordinary. All of the space in this part of the cave eased his claustrophobia a bit, so he decided to take a small break and eat one of the granola bars he’d brought. He knew he needed to go deeper, into one of the small tunnels that branched off from this giant cave, but he felt he’d done a good job just getting this far without being caught, so he deserved a break.

“I know I’ll find something if I just keep looking,” he said aloud as he dropped his backpack to the rocky floor. His voice echoed back to him and he jumped, startled, before grinning at his own foolishness. He usually didn’t notice when he spoke to himself, but it was hard not to when the walls spoke back.

Sitting on a smooth rock, Henry opened his snack and ate it quietly, going over his plan to make sure he’d accounted for everything. Fresh batteries in the flashlight? Check. Snacks? Check. Riding to school so he’d have his bike after? Check. Texting Mom at 3:40 so she wouldn’t come looking for him?

“Uh oh.” Henry crumpled the granola wrapper and stuffed it in his bag as he whipped his phone out of his pocket. He’d forgotten to send the text saying he’d made it home safe. Not only was it too late now, but he had no cell service. “Crap.”

Still, he thought, he’d come too far to back out now. And he was probably going to be grounded for the next ten years if he didn’t break the curse. Then again, Emma was probably going to be mad at him too, so he might end up grounded either way. Groaning, Henry went to get up from the rock he’d sat upon, but stopped when he noticed how smooth the surface was. None of the other rocks were that smooth, right?

He hopped off and knelt on the ground next to the suspicious rock, wincing as the small, sharp stones dug into his knees through his jeans. He picked his flashlight up from the ground where he’d sat it, light upwards, while he ate, and pointed it at the rock, examining it closely. It kind of reminded him of a bench, as it was a large, rectangular block. The entire rock was smooth except for a small bump about halfway up on one of the longer sides. Curious, Henry pressed on the nodule and fell backwards onto his rump when smoke seeped out from cracks that hadn’t been there moments before.

Shocked, the boy watched as the green smoke unfurled and disappeared. A moment of silence made him bold, and he rose up to peer at the strange object that definitely was not a rock. What on earth had he been sitting on? It kind of reminded him of a--

“Is this a coffin?” he whispered in awe. Was he going to see another dead body? He hesitantly reached forward and lifted the top of the false stone, which he now realized was the lid, until it stood vertical, then peered down into the box with his flashlight.

There was a woman inside, and she was breathing! She had pale skin and bright red, curly hair, and seemed to be around his mom’s age. Her dress was emerald green, and so were her eyes when they suddenly flew open and somehow focused on him despite the light he was hiding behind.

Yelping, Henry scampered back and away from the not-a-rock-not-a-coffin and hurriedly turned his light off so the woman wouldn’t be able to see him.

“What good is hiding in the dark when I already know you’re here?” An annoyed voice asked.

Henry blinked in surprise. Why was she English? “Who are you?” he ventured.

“My name is Zelena, and that’s all I’ll tell you until you relight your torch.”

Frowning, Henry flicked his light back on. “This isn’t a torch, it’s a flashlight,” he corrected. 

Zelena sat up and examined the child before her. He reminded her a bit of Hansel, really, but was dressed quite strangely indeed. The object he’d called a ‘flashlight’ seemed to be a small, fire-less torch that still offered light. How strange.

“Where are we?” Zelena asked imperiously.

“The mines,” Henry supplied. Why would someone decide to take a nap somewhere they couldn’t recognize? Heck, why would someone take a nap inside a fake rock in the mines? “Who are you? I’ve never seen you in town, and you’re not in the book.”

“I already told you, boy. I’m Zelena. Now where exactly are these mines located? Am I in Oz or the Enchanted Forest?”

“Wait! You mean you remember who you really are?” Henry exclaimed. “But the curse! And you’re not in the book, I’m sure of it! How do you remember the Enchanted Forest?”

Zelena just stared at him silently. She did vaguely remember something about a curse, but she’d also just woken up from one hell of a nap, so she couldn’t quite place it. She also didn’t know who this boy could possibly be, or why he wasn’t scared of her. She must not be in Oz.

“HENRY!”

Zelena and Henry both turned to the cry and watched as Regina and Emma entered the cavern. Regina ran straight to her son and engulfed him in a hug, not even noticing the woman in the rock. Emma, however, noticed the redhead right away.

“Holy shit! You’re real too?” Emma had known about Zelena, but since she’d only appeared briefly in her visions of the Enchanted Forest she’d often dismissed her as a strange figment of her imagination. When she’d come to Storybrooke she’d searched for the strange witch but had never found her, and had thought maybe she was just someone wacky her mind had added to the tales.

“Language, Miss Swan.” Regina glared over her shoulder at Emma before following the blonde’s gaze to see the unfamiliar woman ogling her. “Who the hell are you?”

  
  



	12. Zelena

Regina stared at the unfamiliar woman who she now realized had been talking to her son. “Henry, are you okay?” she asked somewhat harshly, too worried to try to be gentle.

“I’m fine, Mom,” the boy whined. He pulled away from his mother and looked at Zelena again. “You recognize her, right? You know she’s the Evil Queen?” 

Regina quickly stepped around Henry so she was between him and the stranger, placing her arm out to keep him from passing her.

Zelena ignored the young boy’s questions, glaring at Regina as her mind raced. She’d been spying on her sister and had seen her casting the Dark Curse. Since Zelena couldn’t exactly steal her happy ending if she was in an inaccessible realm, she’d used her own magic to stowaway when the curse swept over the land. Apparently, however, something had gone wonky since instead of waking up with extra memories of this world as she’d intended, she’d slept through everything instead. Where had her spell gone wrong?

While the Queen and the Wicked Witch glared at each other, Henry peeking out from behind his mother and managing to look both eager and confused, Emma moved forward silently until she was between Zelena and the Mills family. She began moving her left wrist in tight circles, keeping her eyes trained on Zelena as she gathered the wisps of magic in the cave. Soon, she had coils of bright magic wrapped around her forearm, all of it now white from mixing with her own magic.

“I know who you are,” Emma said darkly. She stepped forward and extended her left arm, watching closely to see how Zelena would react. The woman just gave her a strange look, eyeing her up and down, but her gaze didn’t linger on Emma’s arm. Meaning she couldn’t see magic and likely had no access to it, same as Regina. So Emma grinned suddenly and let the magic dispel, shoving her hands into her jeans pockets. “Well, looks like the Wicked Witch doesn’t have any magic here either.”

“Excuse me?” Zelena shrieked. She flung her arms forward, intending to turn the annoying blonde woman into a flying monkey, but nothing happened. She tried again, this time rising and stepping out of the rock. She got closer and closer until she was right in the woman’s face, murmuring her curse over and over. Nothing.

“Told ya!” Emma said happily. “Regina, meet your half-sister Zelena, Wicked Witch of the West. She hates you and basically dreams of seeing you miserable, because she apparently wasn’t paying attention all of the times she used her magic to spy on you. Zelena, you obviously already know Regina, I’m Emma Swan, and this is Henry, our son. I had the kid and Regina raised him, and if you harm him we will work together to kill you slowly and painfully. Capiche?”

Regina, Henry, and Zelena all stared at Emma in shock for several moments before they all began speaking at once:  
“My what?!”  
“You believe in magic?!”  
“Oh, bloody hell!”

Emma looked at them all, a broad grin on her face. This was gonna be fun. As long as she kept them from killing each other, that is. She narrowed her eyes at that thought but brushed it off for the time being. “Welp, I’m hungry. How about we all go grab a bite to eat at Granny’s and then we can talk this all out?” Without waiting for a reply, Emma grabbed Regina by the elbow and Henry by his giant backpack and began steering them toward the exit. “You can take up the rear, Zelena! Don’t get left behind!”

“Miss Swan--!” Regina hissed, but Emma cut her off.

“We don’t want her near Henry, and since I don’t think you want to get choked from behind this is the best exit strategy. And no, Your Majesty, we are not going to bury her in this cave.”

“This cave is going to be demolished soon,” Regina said thoughtfully. “I don’t think we’d actually have to bury her. Besides, a cave is already a hole in the ground.”

“Moms, I can hear you.” Henry said tiredly. He’d wanted to find a way to break the curse, but based on what Emma had just said he’d awoken yet another villain. And since the saviour already knew everything was true but still wasn’t going to help, he didn’t know what to do anymore.

“Slow down!” Zelena hollered. “You have all the lights and I can’t use magic!” She hurried to catch up to Swan and her sister and… their child…? She wasn’t really sure what to think of that at the moment. She figured, based on what Swan had said, that they were going to eat, which was good since she’d been asleep for at least a decade judging by the boy’s age. However, “Why are we going to eat at your grandmothers? Is she even a good cook?”

Emma just chuckled. “Granny’s is a diner. Like a tavern, I guess, but without the alcohol and with way better food. Also, now seems like a good time to warn you: don’t talk about magic or the Enchanted Forest, and especially don’t talk about Oz. This world is different. Talk about that kind of stuff and you will get locked up.”

Judging by Regina’s glare and scowl, the mayor had been planning on doing just that. 

Emma just shrugged. There was no way she was going to help put someone away when she knew they weren’t crazy. Getting stuck in the asylum was hell. Been there, done that, not going back. She didn’t realize she was muttering her thoughts aloud.

Regina heard Emma muttering and looked over at her in surprise, but quickly realized she had not been meant to hear any of that. She glanced down. Henry didn’t seem to have heard his birth mother judging by the far off look in his eyes. He was probably trying to come up with some other way to try and break her curse. As for Zelena, while she was out of Regina’s line of sight, the Queen could still hear her ranting to herself not far behind them. There was no way the witch had heard Emma over her own big mouth. And since Emma herself didn’t seem to notice Regina looking at her askance, it meant only Regina had heard.

As they continued their trek out of the mines, Regina tried to sort through the slew of new information she’d become privy to in the last few minutes. She had a half sister who hated her and had apparently been spying on her, and while she wasn’t in the book (yes, Regina had bought an online version of_ Once Upon a Time _ and had already read through it twice), Emma still knew of her. Henry now knew that Emma knew it was all real as well, so that would be fun to deal with. And finally, Emma had likely been confined to a mental hospital for a significant duration of time if she was traumatised enough to not even realize she was speaking of it aloud.

Regina knew she should be happy about that last piece of information, and not only because she should be gleeful when Snow White’s spawn was in pain. She’d been regretting making Emma sheriff since less than an hour after her proclamation, so dredging up the information about her stay in a mental hospital and spreading it would give her probable cause to drop her as sheriff. But she didn’t want to do that. She knew what it was like to be kept somewhere against her will-- she’d gone from a controlling and abusive mother to a controlling and abusive husband, and now she was stuck in a town full of people who hated her, memories or no, that she could never permanently leave. 

Just thinking about Emma being stuck in a similar situation was enough to give her a slight stomach ache.

So Regina shelved that information and decided to focus on Storybrooke’s newest annoying hazard: Zelena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep having Emma refer to mental hospitals as "loony bins" and I really don't think that term is acceptable but I honestly think that's what she'd call them, especially since in this story she was essentially imprisoned in one... Any suggestions for an alternate term that would work???  
EDIT: Has been changed to 'the asylum' thanks to Elizabeth~


	13. Welcome to Storybrooke

“I’m not getting in that thing,” Zelena proclaimed, eyeing her sister’s horseless carriage warily.

“It’s just a car.” Henry sighed. He’d had to hear her ranting monologues all the way out of the cave, and while at first he’d been grateful since it meant his mom couldn’t scold him, he very quickly got tired of it. He was chilly and hungry and now the Wicked Witch wasn’t letting them leave. “It’s way safer than whatever dark magic you used to be able to use.”

Zelena scowled at the boy. “Well excuse me for being wary of getting in an enclosed carriage with a random child, the woman I hate, and another woman who for some reason knows everything about me!” Zelena crossed her arms and stepped back from everyone. They were out of the cave and out in the daylight now, though it seemed the sun would soon set. Perhaps she could escape?

“Get in the car, Zelena,” Emma said. She was feeling the same way Henry looked. Tired and cold and hungry. She walked over and grabbed the redhead’s arm, then proceeded to drag her towards the car. “Just be glad I talked Regina out of making you ride in the trunk.”

Zelena looked over at Swan with wide eyes. She wasn’t entirely sure what the trunk was, but judging by her sister’s annoyed look it couldn’t have been good. “Fine. But I’m not going to talk at all.” Ha. Since they were making her do something she didn’t want to do she wouldn’t grace them with her high, feminine voice or even acknowledge them.

“Good,” Regina growled. “Now would everyone please get in the car since for some reason we’re taking a vengeful witch with us to the heart of the town of cursed fairy tale characters.”

Emma looked over at Regina with concern, but before she could say anything the mayor had slammed her car door closed. Henry was already sitting up front with Regina, so once Emma had buckled Zelena in, which was incredibly awkward for all involved and having to watch, Emma ran around the back of the car and climbed in.

Five minutes into the car ride and no one had said a word. Henry was tired and confused, Regina was angry but didn’t want to scream at people in front of Henry, Zelena truly thought her silence was punishing them, and Emma was getting tired of the heavy silence.“So, kid, how was your day at school?” It wasn’t a good question, but it was something, okay?

“Miss Swan,” Regina started, “do you really think now is a good time for you to try playing parent?”

“I mean… I’m not trying to… I just don’t like awkward silences, okay? Why do you think you and your damn eyebrows can get me to blurt stuff out all the time?”

“Language,” Henry muttered. “Are we there yet?”

“Just a few more minutes, darling,” Regina responded automatically.

“So when we get there are we all gonna go in and eat or should I just go in and order for everyone?” Emma asked.

“That depends on where exactly you plan on Zelena staying,” Regina responded, eyeing Emma in the rearview mirror. “She’s definitely not going to stay with Henry and I.”

“Crap. I just moved in with Mary Margaret, and there’s only two beds…” Emma trailed off. She was gonna have to pay for the Wicked Witch to stay at Granny’s, wasn’t she?

“You moved in with Snow White?” Henry yelped. He craned his neck to peer around the seat at Emma. “But I thought you didn’t want anything to do with your mom!”

“Snow White is your mother?” Zelena blurted. “But that means… how much time has gone by? And why the hell is my sister raising Snow White’s grandson?” Suddenly Zelena let out a delighted cackle. “I’m in the car with my sister and her grandchild and great grandchild who calls her ‘mother’!”

Regina slammed the brakes and twisted around in her seat to glare daggers at the woman. “_Any_ relation I had to that spoiled brat ended when the king died!_ I_ raised Henry, and he is _my_ son. Miss Swan is only connected to me through him-- no one else!” The Queen was breathing harshly, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white as ghosts. “Do not _ever_ say anything like that again or I _promise _I will end you, regardless of what the sheriff says. Do you understand?”

Zelena merely nodded, too shocked to speak. She’d seen her sister angry many times, but she’d never seen her this angry. She looked like she wanted to climb over the seat and rip her apart with her bare hands!

“I asked if you understood, Zelena. I expect an actual answer.” Regina murmured darkly, her voice dark satin over gravel.

“I-I understand.” Zelena responded meekly. 

Once the car had started up again Emma leaned over and whispered into Zelena’s ear: “I know you wanna rile her up, but don’t even hint at stuff from her marriage. There’s really nothing I can do to stop her from killing you.”

The rest of the ride was silent. The Benz pulled into Granny’s parking lot and the four occupants got out (Zelena with Emma’s help) and walked into the diner. Since it was evening, many people were there eating dinner, and the place was filled with chatter and clinking forks and crunching noises until the bell rang and announced a most odd arrival. Everyone glanced towards the entrance and froze. The mayor, the sheriff, their son, and a stranger had just entered, and the mayor looked pissed. One glare from Regina set the diner back to stilted conversations and hurried eating. No one wanted to stick around for whatever was about to go down.

“Hello Madame Mayor, Sheriff, Henry, and…?” Ruby prompted from behind the counter. Two strangers in just as many months! Things were starting to look up in Storybrooke.

“Her name is Zelena,” Regina said briskly. “She’s my half-sister, and is here visiting from the United Kingdom, hence the accent.”

“Hello, wolfy,” Zelena said with a grin. She’d always liked Ruby. Zelena’s pets were essentially stuck that way; imagine having a pet who could transition into a human crony!

Ruby did not like the look the mayor’s half sister was giving her. She bit back a snarl and forced a pleasant smile onto her face. “Nice to meet you. So what can I get you all today?” Ruby liked Emma. Ruby did not like Zelena. Apparently strangers in town weren’t always a good thing.

Regina ordered her usual salad, Henry got a burger and fries and some hot chocolate with cinnamon (Regina was about to shoot down that request but then she decided that since Henry was probably cold a warm drink would do him some good; it had nothing to do with Emma giving her a  _ look _ ), and Emma got her usual grilled cheese and hot chocolate with cinnamon. Zelena just stared at the menu in befuddlement until Emma said to double Henry’s order.

They all sat silently in a recently-vacated booth (the diner was much emptier than it had been when they’d entered) until Ruby brought their orders. Henry was leaning against Regina, too tired and sullen to care about dark curses and evil queens at the moment, and Emma was alternating between thinking how cute that was and checking to make sure that Zelena wasn’t about to start suddenly using magic.

Once their food arrived and Ruby made a hasty retreat, icy blue eyes watching her all the way, Henry sat up and started slowly eating, a disappointed Regina following suit. Emma also began eating, nudging Zelena when the woman just stared at her plate with a slightly disgusted look on her face. “I promise it’s good. Just try it. You’ve been asleep for like three decades, you need to eat.”

“It’s been thirty years?” Zelena hissed. “Bloody hell! Why hasn’t anyone aged?”

“Time was frozen til I came to town and screwed everything up, apparently,” Emma muttered. “Yay saviour.” She rolled her eyes and stuffed some more fries into her mouth. She was about to speak again when Regina leveled a look at her that clearly said if she spoke with her mouth full again she’d regret it. After swallowing and getting a drink, Emma muttered an apology.

Henry curiously watched them all interacting. His mom and Emma were taking cues from one another now that they had something akin to a common enemy in Zelena. And now that he thought about it, he’d called them ‘moms’ earlier and his mom hadn’t said anything snarky. Were they… actually becoming friends? He screwed his eyes shut for a moment and rubbed his hand across is forehead. That didn’t make sense! If evil couldn’t love, if evil couldn’t care, then how was the Evil Queen befriending the Saviour? Was it some kind of trick?

“So, Sis,” Zelena said, her plate clean. “Where will I be staying?” The food looked weird, but it tasted quite good. She wondered if she could take the boy’s food. His eyes were closed at the moment… but then she looked over at Regina and saw her glaring at her. Right, momma bear. Not going to happen.

“You’ll be rooming here at Granny’s,” Regina said, shifting into business mode. “I will be paying for it for the first two weeks until you get your paycheck, which you can then use to pay your own way and repay me.”

“What’s a paycheck?” Zelena asked, while at the same time Emma asked, “How will she be getting a paycheck?”

“Well, Miss Swan,” Regina began with an evil little smirk on her face, “you made a good point earlier about Storybrooke not having any deputies, so since Zelena here is in need of an occupation, and I am in need of a break from my whiny Sheriff, you can train her to be your deputy.”

Henry looked at his mother in disbelief. First the Evil Queen made the Saviour Sheriff, and now she was deputizing the Wicked Witch?!

“Seriously?” Henry and Emma exclaimed.

“Seriously,” Regina replied, her eyes glittering with mischief. Since Emma wouldn’t let her kill Zelena, she’d have to babysit her.


	14. Deputy Pistachio

“Zelena, please put the stapler down,” Emma said tiredly. She was sitting at her Sheriff’s desk, her head supported by her palm, as Zelena menacingly aimed a stapler at her from the doorway.

“Afraid of me, are you, Swan?” Zelena questioned happily. “I knew this was actually a weapon! You called it a stapler, right? What does it do?”

Emma blinked at the woman and sighed. “It’s not a weapon. You just use it to make papers… stay together.” Emma’s brows furrowed. That was a crappy explanation. How does one explain a stapler without using the term ‘staple’?

“Well, Miss Swan, it’s a good thing this town has all the teachers it needs because you would make a deplorable vocabulary teacher. You do know what deplorable means, yes?” Regina asked innocently, smirk firmly in place. She’d been passing by the Sheriff’s station to see how things were going, and she wasn’t disappointed. In fact, she was actually glad Emma hadn’t let her kill Zelena; this was much more amusing.

“Weapon or not, I bet I can still use it better than you, sis!” Zelena proclaimed. She was older, and more powerful, and she could do anything better than Regina! Mother should have kept her and sent Regina away, dammit!

“Doubtful, dear. I’ve been working an office job for twenty eight years.” Regina whisked the stapler away from the woman she still wasn’t convinced she was related to. Disappointed now that her new toy had been taken, Zelena scowled and stalked back to her desk, pouting. “Tell me again how she’s supposed to be my sister?” Regina looked at Emma with a raised brow.

“Ah ha. So that’s why you’re here.” Emma smiled slightly. She’d figured the Queen would have stayed far away from the Sheriff’s station when it housed both the saviour and the Wicked Witch, but curiosity killed the cat, and satisfaction brought it back. “Your mother was conned, to put it simply. She was working in a tavern, and a man claiming to be the prince of that realm came through. He flirted with her, one thing led to another, and several months later she went to the palace, pregnant enough to know but not to show. Turns out the man was a liar, but she did hit it off with the actual prince. In an effort to become queen, she left her child, Zelena, by the side of the road, and a tornado carried the baby away to Oz. Long story short, things fell through with that royal and she ended up with your father and had you.”

“Why do you know these things?” Zelena shrieked. 

Emma jumped a bit and looked over at the redhead. Honestly, she was just glad Zelena hadn’t mentioned who that particular royal was. When she turned back to Regina she realized both women were eyeing her warily. She just shrugged.

“I’ve had weird, dream-like visions as long as I can remember. I don’t know why, and I have no control over them. Writing them down at least made them stop repeating, and when I ended up with a whole book I thought I might as well publish it. I thought if I had to be crazy I could at least try to make some money off it. And now I’m sitting here, Sheriff of a cursed town of fairy tale characters, basically telling my life’s story to the Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch. Surreal.” Emma smirked and slouched back in her spinny chair.

Regina just rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you’ve had these… visions, as you call them, but it’s likely caused by your magic.”

“Wait,” Zelena blurted, “why does Swan have magic?”

“She’s a child of true love,” Regina muttered.

“Ohhh right, she’s the daughter of your nemesis and her Prince Charming.” Zelena made a gagging motion. “Don’t know how I could have forgotten.”

“Oh, please, Zelena.” Regina exited Emma’s little office and headed towards the main doors. “Since I have a job that actually requires work, I’ll be taking my leave now. Goodbye, ladies.” Regina swept out of the room, debating whether her amusement at Emma’ s plight (the woman was mouthing ‘help me’ as she left) outweighed her annoyance at Zelena’s commentary. She was also wondering whether her mother had taken her own heart out before or after abandoning Zelena. There were too many things about her past she didn’t know, and it seemed the only one who did know them was Emma. How inconvenient.

As soon as Regina was out of sight, a small figure crept around the Sheriff’s station and slipped inside. “Emma,” a little voice whispered. “Can I come in?”

Emma peered through the glass around her office and saw Henry. “Kid, aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

“Yup!” Henry chirped. He walked inside and sat down on one of the chairs across from Emma’s desk. “So, what’s the plan?”

“What plan?”

“You moved in with your mom, and you know the curse is real. You’re faking this whole friendship thing with my mom to break the curse!” Henry said quickly, so excited he’d figured it out that Emma needed a few moments just to catch up with everything he’d just said.

“Henry… I don’t want to break the curse.”

“But you’re the saviour!” Zelena interjected. “It’s literally in your job title!” She pushed into the room and plopped down on the other chair.

“...why are you talking like that?” Emma asked. Why did Zelena even know half of those words?

“I’m reading the instruction manual you gave me for this job. Someone wrote little notes in it. I find them both stupidly hilarious and hilariously stupid.” Zelena grinned proudly. She was learning the lingo quite well, if she did say so herself.

“Right. Well then,” Emma cleared her throat. She’d forgotten about those damn notes! She should have given Zelena the one she hadn’t written in. Crap crap crap! They were mostly random comments on the tedious rules and illegible doodles. Gods, had she put anything weird(er than usual) in there?!

“Guys,” Henry whined, “quit getting off track. What’s the plan?”

“I’m not involved in this.” Zelena said quickly, her hands up. “Unless you need me to be, of course. I’m… down… to break Regina’s curse.” A moment later she leaned closer to Henry and whispered, “Did I use that correctly?”

Henry blinked in surprise, but nodded. He still wasn’t sure where Zelena fit in all of this, and he also didn’t know how he felt about her yet.

“Again, there is no plan. I moved in with Mary Margaret because it’s cheaper than living at Granny’s, and she seems cool as long as I don’t think about how she sent me through a portal to another realm all alone as an infant because an imp told her I was destined to save a kingdom I was never even really a part of.”

“Sounds like someone has mommy issues,” Zelena commented under her breath.

“Pot, kettle, black.” Emma said darkly, glowering at the woman.

“What?”

“She basically said you are the epitome of mommy issues,” Henry supplied.

“Rude!” Zelena said. “Well, boy--”

“My name is Henry.”

“Well, Henry, it looks like it’s up to us to break my sister’s curse!”

Emma looked over at Zelena in surprise. “You seriously want to go up against Regina when you have no magic? She has the home field advantage!”

“And I have no clue what that means.” 

“It means that Mom knows everything about Storybrooke and its residents,” Henry said thoughtfully. “But the actual plan can wait! First we all need code names…”

“Please no,” Emma groaned.

“Yes! I’ll be… Bookworm,” Henry said with a nod. “Emma, you can be Spero cuz it means hope in Latin, or at least that’s what Google says, and Zelena… can be Deputy Pistachio!” Henry looked quite proud of himself at this.

“What is a pistachio?” Zelena asked doubtfully.

“It’s green, that’s all that matters.” Emma sighed. This was getting ridiculous. How was she supposed to solve a magical murder when she had to babysit two children while avoiding the Queen’s wrath?

Outside the Sheriff’s station, crouching below a window that had been jimmied open a crack, a shadowed figure grinned. The saviour didn’t want to break the curse, and she didn’t seem to be doing much investigating either. It seemed they still had plenty of time to carry out their plan. The figure stepped away from the window and rose to their feet before heading swiftly towards town. It was time to set things in motion. 

It was finally time to get revenge.


	15. Faster, Faster, Faster!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like you're all going to know who the 'bad guys' are after this chapter despite my (admittedly poor) attempts at making it a mystery. ;-;

Ruby was jogging along the shoreline when she noticed something strange.

Two men stood in one of the alleyways near the docks. They were conversing quietly, as if wary of being overheard. The shorter of the two stepped forward suddenly, hissing in the other man’s face, and the taller man took a step back, raising two hands, one of which seemed deformed almost, in a placating manner. 

Curious, Ruby crept closer. She couldn’t hear all of what they were saying, but she did catch some of the last snippets of conversation:

“...told you… he’s my… aren’t using him like that…”

“But… the plan… we need her to get… the only way to get to her is to use him…”

“...said no! Come up with something else or I’m out!” The sound of fading footsteps followed this outburst, then,

“Oh bloody hell! Never send a boy to do a man’s job!” and the sound of metal striking brick.

Ruby froze, her back against the wall, hoping she’d hear the last man’s footsteps leaving. Silence. Several moments passed, and Ruby finally peeked around the corner.

“Hello, lass. I thought someone was here.” Dark eyes peered out at her from a scruffy face under a mop of black hair. A hand reached out to grab her, but she vaulted away from the wall and ran back towards town. She could hear the pounding of booted feet following her, and she pushed herself to run faster. Faster, faster, faster, it was a chant in her mind. She could feel the blood pumping through her system as her feet pounded the earth, the adrenaline flooding her body.

There was a shout behind her, but she paid it no heed, forcing herself to keep going despite the exhaustion weighing her down. She kept pushing and pushing and pushing herself and then there was a  _ snap! _ in her very being and suddenly she was lighter, faster than she’d ever been.

Ruby raced through the outskirts of town, focusing more on all of the aromas than anything else. She could smell the dampness of the dirt, the crispness of the leaves! There were delicious food smells lingering in the air and she was almost tempted to follow them, but then she remembered she was running for a reason, so she kept going. 

It was early yet, and no one was out and about to see the giant wolf running through town. If they had been, they would have been shocked to see it head straight for the Sheriff’s station, and even more shocked to see Sheriff Swan hold the door open for it as she came into work.

As for Emma, she was surprised to see Ruby in her wolf form. As far as she knew, the curse should not have let that happen. However, her coming to town had apparently weakened the curse enough that time started moving again, so if the situation was desperate enough-- which, judging by the unnecessarily large wolf bearing down on her, it was-- she supposed the woman could access her more lethal form.

Eager to get the wolf inside before someone saw it and either remembered everything or called for it to be put down, Emma opened the door and told Ruby to follow her in. Once inside, the Sheriff closed all of the blinds and locked the door, glad that Zelena wouldn’t be coming in until noon today. She then pulled out a chair and sat down to regard her companion.

As a child, Emma had at first feared the great wolf in her dreams, but she’d quickly gotten over her fear and instead focused on how fucking cool she looked. In person, Ruby’s wolf form was even more majestic. The wolf was sitting on the floor in front of Emma, and both sitting they were about the same height. Thick black fur covered her body, and Emma was sorely tempted to pet her. So she did.

The saviour reached a hand out slowly and began petting the large wolf, holding back a smile as Ruby butted her hand for more petting when she began to withdraw her arm. Obliging, Emma began coming her fingers through the thick fur down Ruby’s back, scratching lightly as she went. The wolf’s tail thumped heavily against the floor with each stroke. Eventually realizing she should probably figure out what had caused Ruby to transform instead of just petting her, Emma stopped and rolled her chair away from the wolf. “What’s up, Rubes?” Emma asked quietly.

Ruby’s large amber eyes studied the Sheriff worriedly, and at one point she attempted to speak but only succeeded in baring her large, sharp teeth and growling.

“You need to turn back for me to understand you,” Emma said wryly, a lopsided grin on her face.

The wolf looked down at her paws in confusion, then jumped up to a standing position, fur raised as she growled deep in her throat. A moment later she collapsed on the ground, whining and covering her snout with her large paws.

“Please tell me you didn’t just now realize you’re a wolf?” Emma asked. At Ruby’s silence, Emma sighed. “Okay, can you turn back?” More silence. “Do you know where your hood is?”

At that question the wolf raised her large head and regarded the blonde curiously. 

“You don’t remember everything,” Emma whispered in awe. “You don’t know-- how are you not freaking out right now? You’re a fucking werewolf!”

Ruby just blinked at the Sheriff and yawned, once again showing off her impressive teeth. She knew she was a wolf, and while she figured she should probably be having some kind of existential crisis right now, she honestly felt better in fur than she did in skirts. And since there wasn’t anything she could do about it she figured she might as well just take a nap. Surely Granny wouldn’t scold her for not coming into work when she might scare the customers away… 

“Okay, fine,” Emma said with a scowl. “You take a nap, and I’ll go track down your damn hood.” The Sheriff rose and stalked toward the door. “Just don’t make a mess, and if the mailman comes don’t eat him!” The wolf puffed out a breath in annoyance at that remark, but quickly fell asleep once the human was gone.

The saviour left the Sheriff’s Station and headed toward main street. She figured if anyone had Ruby’s hood it’d be the Dark One. After all, he was a collector of magical items, and a bright red hood that turned a wolf back into a girl had to be pretty rare, right?

Back at the docks, a man dressed all in black boarded a ship. His companion looked at him in some amusement. “Why do you look like you just tried to run a marathon?”

“I… don’t know what that means…” The man replied, gasping for breath. “There was... someone... listening to us, mate. We need… to do it tonight.” He sat down on a barrel and pulled a flask from his pocket.

“Someone was listening and you couldn’t catch them? What kind of pirate are you?” The other man questioned, trying not to show how worried he was. Their plan was risky enough as it was when they had plenty of time, but now they had to do it tonight?

“She was a bloody werewolf!” The pirate bellowed. “How the hell was I supposed to catch a wolf?”

The other man furrowed his brow. How was there a werewolf in a town cursed to have no magic? “Do you think that means you-know-who is awake?”

“Probably. But we’re doing it anyway. Unless you suddenly don’t care about what he did to your family?” The pirate watched the man carefully. If he backed out now, he wasn’t sure he could do this on his own.

“No. I… I can do it. I know what needs to be done now.”

“So we’ll use the boy?”

The man looked at his companion, pain in his eyes. “Yes. There’s no other choice since he’s awake now. We do it tonight.”


	16. Nice to finally meet you, dearie

Emma eased the door to the pawn shop open and slipped inside. She really was not looking forward to meeting the Dark One. She’d been avoiding the imp since she’d gotten to town, darting around corners and into shops anytime she saw him on the street. Even when he was presumably under a curse, the man still managed to give off an eerie vibe.

“Why, hello Miss Swan.”

“Fuck!” Emma yelped, jumping. Gold was behind the counter, regarding her in amusement, one eyebrow raised. Emma decided she liked Regina’s genuine amusement at her antics much more than Gold’s condescending looks. “Sorry…” she muttered, hunching in on herself slightly. This man reminded her of almost every disappointed foster parent she’d had as a kid. Dammit.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, dearie.” Gold grinned at the saviour. He’d been waiting for Snow and Charming’s whelp to come to town for quite some time now, and while he was disappointed that the curse had yet to break, he was still pleased the process had begun. Soon, he would be able to access his magic again, and then he could go about finding Bae.

Emma watched the Dark One carefully. She knew his story. From being born a saviour himself, to losing his mother to her darkness and then losing his son to his own darkness, Rumplestiltkin had not led a happy life. Then again, neither had Emma, largely thanks to him, so she had no sympathy for the man. She flashed Gold a toothy grin, more in the manner of baring her teeth to an enemy than smiling in greeting.

“Well, being Sheriff does have its perks,” she chirped.

Gold merely blinked at her, his eyes cold and black. “What can I do for you, dearie?”

“First, you can stop calling me ‘dearie’,” Emma said sweetly, doing her best not to punch the man. She could still vividly recall trying to beat him up when she’d realized how horribly he was manipulating Regina, but alas, one cannot beat visions to a bloody pulp. “Second, I’m looking for a certain red cloak. I’m assuming you’ve laid claim to it at some point?”

“Hmmm. I’m not sure what you’re trying to imply, Miss Swan, but yes, I do believe I have what you are looking for.” Gold turned and disappeared behind a curtained door.

Emma looked around the shop while the imp was gone, marveling at everything she recognized. Which was literally everything. She was pretty sure 80% of this stuff was only in Gold’s possession because of the curse. He hadn’t actually made deals to get any of it. The Dark Curse was just a cheat code he used to get a bunch of magical shit. Why he wanted it in a world where he couldn’t access magic, Emma didn’t know.

Gold reappeared behind the counter, a finely-woven red cloak in his hands. “So, _ dearie _, what do I get in exchange?”

“...Money?” Emma questioned. Was this bastard seriously going to try to get a favor out of her when he wasn’t even supposed to be awake? He obviously was, but damn, she thought he’d try to hide it, at least!

“No, no, no. That won’t do. I can’t take money from the Sheriff of our fine little town! How about you just owe me a favor? It won’t be anything illegal, cross my heart.” He leered at the blonde, and Emma suppressed a shudder.

“I’m honestly not sure you have one,” Emma muttered to herself. Judging by the eye twitch Gold suddenly developed, he’d likely heard her. Oh well. The Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch already didn’t like her, why not add the Dark One to the list?

She was gonna die at this rate, wasn’t she?

Mentally shrugging, Emma snatched the cloak from the Dark One. Before he could get too angry, she leaned across the counter a bit and leveled him with a look. “I don’t owe you a favor. I will give a secret in exchange for this cloak.”

“And what secret could you possibly have that would interest me?” Gold asked, curious despite himself. The woman seemed awfully cocky.

“Belle is alive.” Emma said. Gold stumbled back, a look of shock and horror on his face, and Emma swiftly turned and exited the shop, wondering if she really should have told the man that. She hadn’t truly thought it through. The door closed behind her and she turned towards the Sheriff’s Station, her mind racing. If Gold put two and two together and realized that Regina had duped him… shit shit shit! She’d really just wanted to see his face when he realized how much he’d fucked up by not actively looking for his supposed ‘true love’ when he received the news of her death. He’d just accepted it and started grieving. It was like he was a man who loved to be miserable. And now she’d gone and opened her big mouth and said too much. She should have just slapped a twenty on the table and left.

Emma stopped outside the station and called Regina. The phone rang twice before the mayor picked up.

“What is it now, Miss Swan?”

“RubyturnedintoawerewolfandItoldGoldBelleisalive!” Emma said quickly.

On the other end of the line Regina blinked several times, attempting to decipher what the hell the saviour had just said. “Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry! I just-- I needed her cloak cuz she can’t turn back and we can’t have a giant wolf running around Storybrooke and he wanted a favor and I know better so I thought I could just give him information instead and for some reason I chose to tell him Belle is alive and--” 

“Enough,” Regina interjected sharply. Emma was just rambling at this point. How this woman had written a coherent book Regina would never know. “I’m coming to the station. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Please get your story straight before then.”

Luckily for Emma, Regina hung up before she could hear Emma’s automatic response of “But I’m not straight so how can my story be?”

When Regina got to the Sheriff’s Station she found Emma and Ruby sitting guiltily in the two chairs opposite the sheriff’s desk. With a raised brow she circled around and sat in the Sheriff’s seat. “Explain,” she stated.

Ruby looked nervously at the Mayor, her eyes darting away and back every few seconds. She didn’t trust Mayor Mills, but she did trust Emma, and since her friend had told her to just tell the mayor the truth that’s what she would do. “I, um, I was going for a jog this morning. I was down by the docks and I saw two strangers talking… I was curious so I got closer to try to hear… I think they were talking about using someone to get to someone else… one of them didn’t want to use ‘him’ but the other said it was the only way to get to ‘her’...” Ruby paused, her eyes narrowed as she tried to recall if she’d heard anything else.

Regina took the opportunity to glance over at Emma, who was looking at Ruby with a furrowed brow. Sighing, Regina turned back to the waitress, making a motion with her hand to tell her to continue.

“Oh, right, sorry. Anyway, one of the men overheard me and tried to grab me, so I ran. He was chasing me, and I was already tired since I’d been jogging for awhile, but I kept pushing myself to go faster… and long story short I guess I kinda… turned into a wolf?” Ruby’s voice raised at the end, though she knew it wasn’t a question.

Regina examined the young woman. Ruby’s hair was a bit messier than usual, and her clothes were in dire need of ironing, but otherwise she seemed the same. Staying silent, Regina turned her gaze onto Emma, who immediately began squirming.

“Uh… yeah, so when I came into work this morning I saw Rubes running towards me in wolf mode, so I got her inside before anyone else could see… only she couldn’t turn back so I had to go get her cloak. Which means I had to go to Gold’s pawn shop cuz he has everybody’s shi-- stuff. He wanted me to owe him a favor in exchange for the cloak, even though he doesn’t even really have any claim to it, so I figured I’d give him some information instead, and it’s always made me mad that he never even tried to search for Belle… so I told him she’s alive. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking!” Emma sighed and placed her head in her hands. She’d really screwed up this time, hadn’t she?

“Wait,” Ruby said suddenly. “How the hell did you know the giant wolf running at you was me? I could have just been some rando wolf who got hungry and wandered into town! I could have eaten you!! And I’ve never seen this cloak thing before! But you said it was mine and it somehow turned me back?! And why would Gold _ not _want money? He’s the greedy landlord for the whole town!” Ruby paused to take a breath, Emma and Regina looking at her with wide eyes, both wondering how the hell she’d said all that without taking a breath. “Also, who’s Belle?”

Before anyone could even begin to formulate a response, Zelena burst into the station, a full twenty minutes late. She stopped when she saw the trio in the office, then rushed in, a maniacal grin plastered on her face. “Oooh, this looks interesting, and right when I was getting bored, too. What’s going on? Tell me everything!”

  
  



	17. What does that make you then?

“Uh, Regina? This place is hella creepy,” Emma whispered loudly. She, Ruby, and Zelena were all following the mayor into the bowels of Storybrooke’s hospital, and Emma didn’t like it one bit. It was making her skin crawl with a familiar feeling of dread.

Regina ignored her, too focused on planning how to combat Rumple to spare a thought to Emma’s past experience in ‘the asylum’. Regina continued down the hall of the hospital’s psych ward until she reached the proper door. Turning, she beckoned the middle-aged nurse over to her. The woman handed the mayor a heavy iron key before shuffling back to her desk, not caring a bit for what was about to happen. Regina placed the key in the lock and turned it slowly, then pushed the door open. Three heads peered around the mayor, eager to see what was in the oh-so-secret locked room.

Inside was a drab little bed with a thin waif of a girl on it, her head turned up to the narrow slit of a window that let a meager bit of watery light filter into the room.

“I know no one’s really there,” said a soft voice with an Australian accent. “You’re just another delusion from lack of sleep and poor nutrition. Begone.”

Emma was too shocked to move forward. What the hell had Regina done to Belle? She’d locked her up just because she had the misfortune to be the Dark One’s true love? She leveled a glare at Regina, but while the mayor’s back stiffened she otherwise ignored Emma, as per usual.

Zelena had a look of disgust on her face, and she quickly stepped back, wondering if her sister and the blonde seer had decided to lock her in this horrible little prison. Was this the ‘trunk’?

Ruby, however, nearly ran into the room. She walked over so she was standing across from the bed and in the girl’s peripheral. “Are you Belle?” she asked hesitantly.

The girl on the bed turned to regard her visitor, suspicion written all over her face. She looked the young woman up and down, noting the oddity of the cloak with a shirt and a short skirt. “Who are you?” she questioned, her tone hard despite the slight tremble in her voice.

“My name is Ruby.” Ruby turned slightly to acknowledge the three at the door. “The blonde one in the red leather jacket is Emma, the redhead wearing too much green is Zelena, and the woman in heels and a pencil skirt is Madame Mayor. Emma’s the sheriff, and Zelena is the mayor’s sister.”

“What does that make you then?”

“I’m… a waitress at the diner. Which makes me the most useful out of all of them since you look like you could use some food!” Ruby grinned and held her hand out to the girl, whom she now realized was actually a young woman since she was closer and could see past the threadbare dress and messy hair.

Belle pursed her lips at Ruby’s declaration, but tentatively reached out and grasped the offered hand, climbing carefully off of the bed. She hadn’t moved in awhile, so she ended up falling against the other woman a bit, but Ruby easily supported her, and the two exited the little cell, following behind the mayor and company as they headed to the stairs.

Once they were all settled in Regina’s Benz, Zelena in the passenger seat and Ruby and Emma on either side of Belle in the back seat, Regina drove the short distance to the diner. If she was going to have a non-magical showdown with Gold, what better place than the heart of town? At least if she had to stab him with one of her high heels she would have witnesses to how he’d tried to beat her with his cane. Yeah, there was no way this was going to be civil.

The only noise in the car was Ruby playing tour guide to Belle, pointing out all of the places in Storybrooke and commenting on each one. “That’s the ice cream shop, and I have to say it’s the best place to get ice cream cuz it’s not gonna melt no matter how hot it is outside! And there’s Marco’s shop! He makes really pretty wood carvings, though I think he’s kinda lonely. I’ve been trying to set him up with Granny for ages! That’s Archie’s place, he’s… nevermind. Oh look, there’s the diner!” As soon as the car stopped Ruby hopped out and waited for Belle, glad she hadn’t mentioned the town shrink. Belle had already had an extended stay in the psych ward for who knows how long-- today she just needed food and friends! Well, Ruby hoped they could become friends. Belle just gave off a good vibe. And a good smell. Ruby frowned at that thought as she led Belle into the diner, hoping it was a wolf thing that meant ‘good person’ and not ‘tasty person’.

Once inside, Zelena made a beeline for the magical music box, eager to find and play the most annoying song possible. Ruby grabbed a menu and took Belle to a booth, where she quickly began explaining all of the food options when she noticed Belle’s puzzlement. Regina attempted to follow them, but Emma stepped in front of her.

“Can we talk?”

The mayor sighed, looking at Emma speculatively. The saviour looked angry, and she couldn’t fathom why. Emma was the one who had screwed up this time. That was why they’d had to go get Belle out of the psych ward-- oh. “This way,” Regina muttered, suddenly avoiding eye contact. She and Emma went to the little hallway that led to the bathrooms, and Regina positioned herself so she could still keep an eye on Belle while dealing with this… unanticipated situation.

“You locked Belle in a tiny little room with nothing. Not even a tv. She’s malnourished and scared of her own shadow. What the hell, Regina?” Emma’s troubled eyes searched the queen, and while she saw some discomfort in the woman’s posture, nothing spoke of regret.

“Trust me, Miss Swan, it was a better fate than the curse had in store for her. Can we please just leave it at that?” One of Regina’s hands unconsciously pressed to her stomach, and while Emma immediately recognized this tell, she didn’t pause to consider what would make the queen so uncomfortable, instead stepping a little closer to the woman, enough to break into her personal space a bit.

“What the hell could have been so bad that being locked up for something she had no choice in is better?” Emma hissed, eyes blazing.

Regina bristled at Emma’s tone, the contempt in the blonde’s voice echoing with the hatred of countless others, and automatically switched to offense. “Locking her up meant I could keep her curse memories from taking root. She may not remember being Belle, but at least she didn’t become Lacey, the town whore!” Regina stepped forward for the last bit, wanting Emma to know just what was at stake for the young brunette.

The queen and the saviour stood face to face, barely an inch apart, glaring at each other and breathing heavily for several seconds before Regina’s words registered and Emma suddenly backed away, thumping into the wall. “What are you talking about?”

“I got the Dark Curse from Gold,” Regina began to explain with a sigh. “I don’t know where he found it, but it was only a basic structure. He essentially wrote over it to apply it to everyone in the Enchanted Forest. Snow White works with other people’s children, never even knowing she’s lost her own. Prince Charming, a man of action, is lying in a coma, useless to those he loves. Widow Lucas was a badass who catered to no one, and now she owns a diner where her granddaughter runs around in nearly nothing as opposed to the usual attire of a dress that covered almost everything. Most everyone is living in their own personal hell; they just don’t realize. As for Belle, he wrote all of this before they ‘fell in love’, so at the time he believed he only desired her body. So, why not make her the easiest person in town?”

“Congratulations,” Emma deadpanned, “I now hate Gold even more than I did before. I didn’t even think that was possible.” She bit her lip, thinking a moment, before she spoke again. “I still don’t agree with what you did to Belle, but I can understand why you thought that was the better alternative. What I don’t understand is why Gold would design such mundane personal hells for everyone if they would never even know about it. What was the point? Unless…” Emma trailed off, closing her eyes in realization. “He wanted me to come here.”

“He wants the curse to break,” Regina breathed in realization. She’d thought so earlier, but that was before she knew it was Emma’s magic that was giving her knowledge of the past she shouldn’t be privy to. Apparently, her ill-informed assumption had been correct, though.

“BELLE!”

Both the queen and the saviour turned towards the shout, narrowing their eyes when they saw a delighted yet furious Gold hobbling towards the booth Belle and Ruby were at.

“Let’s do this,” Regina muttered, striding to meet him head on. 

Emma quickly followed, wondering how the hell these two planned to fight each other when neither had magic. Then again, Gold did have a hoard of magical items, so maybe he’d brought one along? Grimacing at the thought, the saviour quickly began to gather the magic in the room, moving her left arm in tight circles at her side. It looked weird, but it was effective.

School had let out hours ago, but Regina and Emma were too occupied with Gold to wonder where Henry was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the lack of update last weekend... (and about the late one today...)  
I went home for the weekend so I didn't have internet, and I wasn't willing to type all of this on my phone. I was planning to update Monday, but being without internet also made it hard to do homework, so... guess who's still got a shit ton of Calc to do? ha ha ha...  
:-:  
Anyway, instead of doing a double update to make up for last weekend I think I'll write a Swan Queen one shot from an idea I had awhile ago. It'll hopefully be done sometime next week, and I'll update you next post! ^^


	18. Some Random Dagger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This counts as last Saturday's update... so there'll be one this upcoming Saturday as well, and since I should be back on campus that day the update should be on time for once! ^^  
(If you haven't noticed, holidays are majorly messing with my update schedule. I don't have wifi when I go home, so while I can type the update I can't publish it...)

“Belle, I’m so sorry,” Gold gasped, hand outstretched toward the brunette. The young woman flinched away, not knowing who this man was or why he was trying to touch her. “I should have looked for you. I know that now. Please…”

“Back off, Gold.” Regina slapped her ex-mentor’s hand away and stepped between him and the bookworm. “She doesn’t even know who _she_ is, much less who _you_ are.”

Gold froze and looked at the queen, his face blank. He took in her battle-ready stance and tense jaw, the way her fingers were curling and uncurling at her sides as if trying to summon flames. Realization hit. “You did this,” he hissed in disbelief. “You tricked me! You told me she was dead!” He was screaming now, and everyone in the diner froze and watched him, a dark fear uncurling in their stomachs. They’d always feared the crippled man without really having cause to, but now the danger they’d seen lurking in his eyes was present in full, and several people fled. Regina glanced after the cowards and sighed internally. Fools.

“Yes, I lied.” She looked at the Dark One smugly. “Are you really all that surprised? I learned from the best— you said so yourself.”

Gold glared at her, enraged. “You shouldn’t have taken what was mine, dearie.” With one last, lingering glance at Belle, who shied away from him, the Dark One turned and swiftly exited Granny’s.

“That was… easier than I thought it would be…” Emma commented. She’d expected a little more from the Dark One, to be honest. She was relieved, yes, but also… disappointed?

“Please,” Regina responded with a delicate snort. “Even you must realize he’ll be back. He’s just gone to get some obscure magical relic to use to kill me.”

“Oh. Well fuck.”

“Language, Miss Swan.”

“Uh, guys?” Ruby interjected. “What’s going on?”

The queen and the saviour turned to the two young women in the booth. Belle seemed to be trying to merge with the wall, and Ruby, who was sitting beside her in the booth, had scooted back as if to shield her from the confrontation. Ruby was looking to Emma for an explanation, and Belle was staring out the diner’s windows after Gold, an arm curled around her stomach protectively.

“Uhm,” Emma began eloquently, “I—er, Regina? Care to explain?” Regina glared at the saviour, but before she could try to bullshit her way through this, Belle spoke up.

“You said I don’t know who I am,” she began, “but I do. My name is Belle, and I am the princess who gave herself to the Dark One to save her kingdom from the ogres that threatened it.” Belle turned to Ruby with a small grin. “You’re Red, a werewolf whom I met thanks to Snow White, and you,” Belle continued as she faced Regina, “are known as the Evil Queen. I don’t recognize Emma.”

Ruby looked at Belle, her eyes wide. This woman had just said she knew Snow White. She’d called the mayor the Evil Queen. Was this why she’d been in the psych ward? Then again, she was right about the whole werewolf thing. “Regina being the Evil Queen actually makes a lot of sense,” Ruby murmured, a pensive look on her face. “Henry says it all the time, and since he also says Mary Margaret is Snow White that would explain why Regina hates her so much…”

“Henry!” Regina gasped. She turned to Emma, and the saviour mirrored her horrified look. School had let out hours ago; where was Henry? Emma yanked her phone out of her pocket and speed dialed their son. It rang a few times, but no one picked up. Regina pulled her own phone out and tried calling him. Someone picked up on the first ring, and the queen placed the phone on speaker. “Henry?”

“So sorry, your majesty,” an oily voice, much too old (and accented) to be their ten-year-old son’s responded, “but Henry is a little tied up at the moment.”

“If you have hurt my son, I swear—”

“Yes, yes, I know the spiel. We’ve no time for that right now. We need you to… acquire something for us.”

“Us?” Emma asked suspiciously. Were there multiple kidnappers? What the hell was going on?

“Yes, Sheriff Swan, _us_. What we need is something only the queen will be able to get. Feel free to go back to doing… whatever it is that you do. Now then, your majesty, is it safe to assume you’ll get us what we need in exchange for your little boy?”

“Yes.” Regina’s reply was instant. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for Henry.

“Good.” There was silence for several seconds, then: “Bring the dagger to the pier by noon tomorrow and you’ll have your son back safe. Fail to do so, and you won’t see the boy ever again.” There was a click, and Regina slipped her phone back into her pocket, her hands shaking slightly.

“Those were the worst instructions I’ve ever heard.” Ruby blurted. “Why would they steal your kid just to get some random dagger?”

“It’s not some random dagger,” Zelena interjected with disdain. Everyone jumped slightly and turned to see the redhead, who was now standing behind them, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. “They want the Dark One’s dagger.” Silence followed her statement, and Zelena threw her hands up in the air. “You all forgot I was here, didn’t you?”

“Yep.” Emma popped the ‘p’ sound, immature as usual. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Excuse me?” Regina asked, eyebrow raised incredulously.

“The plan? To get our kid back?” Emma prompted.

“Henry is _my_ son, and this is _my _town. I will do this on my own. I don’t need your help, Miss Swan.” Regina was kicking herself. She’d let her guard down since the saviour didn’t seem to be trying to break her curse. She’d even become… friendly… with the woman. And now her son had been taken. She had to fix this. Somehow.

“Well whether or not you need it, you’re getting it.” Emma said with a frown. Why was Regina suddenly rejecting her? She though they’d been getting along. “Henry is a good kid, and I know that’s cuz of you. We all wanna help get him back. Right, guys?” Emma turned slightly to include the three women watching them all warily.

“Hell yeah!” Ruby exclaimed. “Who else is gonna help me figure out all of this fairytale crap? And Belle, I think you’d like Henry. You guys are both book nerds. At least, assuming you’re Belle from _Beauty and the Beast_…” Ruby screwed her face up in thought. “I can’t think of what else you’d be from, to be honest.”

“I’ll help get your son back,” Belle said quietly, looking from Regina to Emma. “I know Rumple, and I think I have a good idea of where he keeps his dagger.”

“See, Regina? We can all help.” Emma stepped closer to the tense woman and hesitatingly placed a hand on her arm. “Please let us.”

“I’ll help too!” Zelena proclaimed. “Not that anyone cares, apparently, but Henry gave me some pistachios and they were quite good. Might as well return the favor.” Emma rolled her eyes at Zelena’s comment, knowing full well that Zelena just wanted to get Henry back so they could work on breaking the curse.

“You’ve got a wolf, a wicked witch, the Dark One’s true love, and a bail bondsperson at your disposal, Regina. What’s the plan?”

Regina’s dark eyes met Emma’s and she stared at her for several seconds, weighing her options. “Fine,” she eventually muttered. “Let’s go to my vault.”


	19. Oh, the irony

“What the actual fuck? Why is your vault in a frickin’ graveyard?!” Emma whined. She was standing on a small path with Ruby, Belle, and Zelena as Regina unlocked the large padlock on her family’s mausoleum.

“Language, Miss Swan,” Regina said reflexively. She opened the door and held it open, beckoning the group behind her to enter. If someone had told her last week that she would be welcoming the saviour, her long lost sister the Wicked Witch, the bookworm she’d had locked up for 28 years, and the wolf who’d eaten so many of her soldiers into her vault in order to save her son by stealing the Dark One’s dagger… well she’d have killed them. Or had them committed—either way.

“You first, your majesty,” Emma proclaimed, coming up behind Regina and taking hold of the door. The other three had already gone inside, and there was no way Emma was going to risk letting Regina lock all of them up so she could do everything solo.

Regina merely sighed and went in, Emma right behind her. Zelena was looking around the small space with her lip curled up in a sneer while Ruby and Belle were ogling Henry Sr.’s tomb. “Yes, I named my son after my father. And before you whine about the location anymore, Miss Swan, I simply wanted my vault guarded by one of the only people I’ve ever trusted.”

Emma blinked in surprise, then tilted her head as she regarded Regina, whose back was to her so she could hide her face. She wasn’t sure why the queen had told them this, as it seemed the kind of private thing she would usually keep to herself, but perhaps her comment about the vault’s location had come across as an attack? “Sorry… I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s… uhm… woah!” Emma jumped back as Regina started pushing the tomb, startled by the grinding noise as well as its mobility. A moment later she stepped forward and helped the queen push while the others watched, one not caring to help and two too nervous to touch anything that belonged to the Evil Queen.

Once her father’s tomb had been moved, Regina led everyone down the stairs and into her vault, where she instructed them to stay put until she’d lit all of the candles. She only had three left to light when she could _feel_ Emma reaching out to touch something. “No touching, Miss Swan,” she said crisply, whirling around to regard the troublesome saviour. The blonde had frozen, hand outstretched towards a small bronze sculpture. “Had you touched that, I would have had to start calling you _Mister_ Swan.” Emma squeaked and yanked her hand back to her side. “Good. Now, this way.”

“Why on earth do you have something like that?” Emma hissed as she and the others followed the queen to the heart of her vault.

“None of your business,” Regina responded, and she left it at that. “So, Belle, you said you knew where he kept his dagger?” Regina turned to the woman expectantly.

“Yes… but I’ll only tell Emma. Alone.” Belle crossed her arms and stared down the Evil Queen, trying her best to hide how her heart thundered in her chest. This was her only chance, and she couldn’t blow it.

“What?” Emma sputtered. “But I’m— she’s— why?”

“Alright, have it your way.” Regina led Belle and Emma to a smaller room in her vault and closed the door, trying to ignore the unease she was feeling. Surely the bookworm didn’t have bad intentions. Emma would be fine. Wait. Why the hell did she care what happened to the saviour?! Shaking her head at her own thoughts, Regina hurried back to Ruby and Zelena, the former of whom was doing everything in her power to avoid the latter’s gaze.

Inside the room, Emma watched Belle nervously. “Why do you only wanna talk to me?”

“I’ve heard Zelena call you a seer, and Ruby told me how you gave up Henry and how Regina adopted him. You’re the only one who can help me.” Belle leaned against the cold stone wall and watched the so-called saviour with determination. “We’ll get Rumple’s dagger, but we’re not giving it to the kidnappers.”

“But Henry--!” Emma interrupted.

“Shush. You can use the dagger to command the Dark One. When we go to the pier, summon the Dark One and have him save your son. Then I want you to kill him.” Belle’s voice wavered but remained strong. “I will only help you obtain the dagger if you use it to kill him. Otherwise you’re on your own, and I don’t think even the Evil Queen will be able to find Rumple’s dagger.”

“I… the Dark One is your true love,” Emma whispered. “Why would you want to kill him?”

“Some seer you are,” Belle scoffed. “I’m pregnant with his child, and I don’t want the Dark One anywhere near them. You know what happened with his first child, yes?”

Emma nodded slowly, recalling the dreams of a young boy, Baelfire, who had been driven from his realm because of his father, the one and only Rumplestiltskin. “He drove him from his home; he abandoned his son.” Belle nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Emma cut her off. “And now you want me to become the Dark One-- to do the same thing to Henry.” Emma slammed her hand down on a crate, smirking darkly when Belle flinched. “No.”

“Emma, please. I can’t let Rumple near my child, and this is the only way to truly be free of him. In the past, you chose to do what was best for your child. I’m trying to do the same thing now. Even if you become the Dark One, you won’t have given in to the darkness yet. Besides, you’ll most likely be transported to Misthaven, so you won’t be able to harm Henry. We both know Regina will protect him if you find your way back here.”

“I’d still be abandoning him. Again.” Emma whispered quietly, the fight draining out of her at the thought.

“If you don’t agree to do this then I won’t help you, and you’ll never find the dagger.” Belle said quickly, her voice barely shaking. “You have to.”

“So in order to save my son, I have to abandon him again. What makes you think I’ll keep my word, anyway?” Emma looked at Belle curiously.

“You’re the saviour, for one. Besides, I think once you’ve interacted with Rumple a bit more, you’ll realize that the only way to save my child is to kill him. And Emma, I think you’re more compassionate than you let on.”

“Fine, I’ll do it. Now, where’s the dagger?” Emma made her face blank and pushed down the rioting emotions she was feeling. She had to abandon her son again, and she was going to become the Dark One. Snow White’s daughter was going to be the Dark One, even after what her parents had done to Maleficent’s child. Oh, the irony. Emma smiled grimly and listened as Belle detailed her plan. This was not going to be fun.


	20. Are you sure this will work?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry about the lack of updates, y'all. Finals had me stressing beforehand and completely wiped out after. But look, I've finally updated! So no, this fic is not dead! Although I should warn you, I won't have easy internet access again til mid-January, so updates for the next few weeks might be a couple days off here and there... Sorry... :/
> 
> (Also, I completely forgot about one of the characters for the first half of the chapter... Sorry Ruby...)

“So, to summarize,” Regina deadpanned, “Belle doesn’t actually know where the dagger is.” The queen’s back was rigid, her arms crossed protectively in front of her. Emma and Belle had been gone longer than she’d expected, and she’d grown tenser with every passing second. Now, it turned out that the damned bookworm hadn’t even kept her word!

“Yeah, but she has a plan to get it…” Emma’s voice hiked up at the end, making what was supposed to be a reassuring statement sound more like a question. Oof

Regina began pacing back and forth, brow furrowed. “Do either of you truly believe _the Dark One_ would surrender his dagger to the true love he _rejected_ and hasn’t seen in decades? Even if it can’t be used to control him here—”

“Actually,” Belle interrupted. “If someone who can access magic in this realm wields the dagger, they should be able to control Rumple, and even enable him to access his own dark magic.”

“No one here can do that.” Zelena scoffed. “Trust me, if anyone could it would be me. I _was_ his best student.” She looked over at Regina and grinned smugly. Regina was too busy rolling her eyes in response to notice how Emma and Belle grimly locked eyes for a moment. Apparently, Belle had noticed Emma summoning magic back at the diner, and that was when this little plan of hers had formed. Dammit.

“Still,” the queen continued, “the Dark One isn’t going to just _give_ you the dagger.”

“He will if he believes it’s the only way he gets to keep me.” Belle said this with absolute confidence, knowing she couldn’t let the little bit of doubt she felt show. The Evil Queen was an expert at reading people and sussing out their weaknesses.

“Alright, fine. But if this doesn’t work, he’ll have to trade the dagger for your life, and even then, I won’t spare you.” This was hissed an inch from Belle’s face, and the brunette flinched accordingly. Regina was in full Evil Queen mode, her trademark sneer on her face, and she ached with the absence of magic. If only she could reach into this little liar’s chest and pluck out her pathetic heart…

“Okay!” Emma exclaimed loudly. “So, Belle and Ruby and I are going to go get the dagger, and you and Zelena can work on… a potion or something… to use against the kidnappers. Or the Dark One if we piss him off. Y’know, just to be prepared, whatever!” Emma grabbed Belle’s arm and dragged her out of the queen’s lair, a very confused Ruby following as they left a surprised Regina in their wake.

“What the hell was that about? And why did the bookworm need to tell her foolish little plan to Emma before she revealed it to us?”

“Dunno, sis, but let’s get to making potions, shall we?” Zelena already had her hands full of some of Regina’s rarer ingredients, and in her haste to stop the wicked witch from accidentally cursing them both Regina’s musings were forgotten.

…

“Are you sure this will work?” Emma whispered to Belle. They were parked down the street from the Dark One’s shop in Regina’s Benz (yes, Emma had pickpocketed the Evil Queen when she’d grabbed Belle, and no, there was no way she would ever admit to it).

“It has to,” was all Belle said before slipping out of the car. She glanced back at Ruby to see the she-wolf giving her a thumbs up and mustered up a smile for her. Then she sprinted towards Rumple’s shop, looking for all the world as if she were being chased by the very hounds of hell themselves. Belle slammed the door open and ran inside, swerving around the counter and bear hugging a very surprised Rumplestiltskin.

“B-Belle?” the man stuttered as he slowly wrapped his arms around her. “Y-you’re really here. Even in the diner, I wasn’t sure if you were just a phantom, but… you’re here. You’ve come back to me.” His face crumpled and ducked his head down to bury his face in her hair as he squeezed her tight. “Don’t worry, Belle. I’ll protect you this time, I promise.”

Belle hugged Rumple for as long as she could stand, using the time to compose herself so her disgust at his pathetic promise wouldn’t show. She’d learned the hard way that the Dark One never truly kept his promises.

“Rumple, please. I—the Evil Queen, she—” Belle had pulled back slightly to face the man she once loved (and possibly still did).

“Shh, my precious Belle. There’s no need to fear Regina. I can handle her. She’ll never put her hands on you again.”

“You didn’t even search for me,” Belle said quietly, ducking her head to hide the anger in her eyes. She’d been stuck in the queen’s tower for three and a half months, and when she’d realized she was pregnant she’d been terrified of what the queen would do to her baby. Luckily, the queen had cast the Dark Curse before Belle’s pregnancy had started to show, and being frozen in time for twenty-eight years was a great way to hide being pregnant. She hadn’t even known she was pregnant in this realm until she’d seen Regina’s face earlier that day and her memories had come rushing back. The saviour’s arrival truly had weakened the curse.

“Belle—”

“No Rumple,” Belle backed away, shaking her head, forcing all of her pent up fear and anger and sadness to show. “You gave up on me. You left me to die. I can’t trust you ever again!” She wrung her hands in front of her, a nervous tic she’d always hated but had learned to use effectively. “I shouldn’t have come here. This was a mistake!” She let her voice grow more and more hysterical, and sure enough, Rumple was quick to hobble over and grasp her by the shoulders so she couldn’t flee.

“No, no, no. Belle, please, you can trust me.” He was begging her now, his eyes moist with tears. “Please, Belle. I love you.”

“And I love you Rumple,” Belle echoed, her heart a ball of pain in her chest, “but I can’t do this. I can’t stay with someone I can’t trust.” She reached up and pulled his hands from her shoulders, then held them gently as she leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. “Goodbye, Rumple.” She turned to leave, trying to convince herself that this sadness was just a mask. That she wasn’t actually regretting what was soon to come.

“Belle, wait!” the Dark One reached out and grasped Belle’s forearm, pulling her back so that she thudded into his chest. He leaned against the wall to keep his balance, then released her quickly and grabbed his cane. “Come with me, Belle, please. I’ll prove to you that I’m trustworthy. Please, Belle.”

…

Emma and Ruby were following Belle and Rumple through the woods on foot, Emma doing her utmost to not crack every twig in the vicinity and Ruby in her wolf form (turns out heeled boots aren’t the best for hiking; paws, on the other hand…). They were out of sight of the strange couple, both relying on Ruby’s nose to track Belle. They didn’t want to risk tipping the Dark One off to his brunette love’s true intentions.

Emma occasionally muttered a curse as she was somehow managing to turn either ankle nearly every other step, and Ruby would often huff in amusement at her human companion’s woes. Soon enough, however, Ruby stopped and tilted her head, listening. They were close. She stepped in front of Emma and did a strange cross between a head toss and a nod.

“We’re close?” Emma mouthed. Ruby repeated the motion, and Emma gave her a nod in return. Both crept forward as quietly as possible, trying to avoid rustling the underbrush. Belle and Rumple were in a small field surrounding a large tree, and Rumple had produced a shovel from… somewhere… and was digging under the tree with it. “Where the fuck did he get a shovel? There’s no way he was carrying it earlier!” Emma whispered. Ruby did her best to shrug, and both continued watching in silence.

“Here,” an exhausted Rumple gasped, presenting a long black box to Belle. “Take it, please.”

She took the box and opened it, revealing a shiny dagger with the name ‘Rumplestiltskin’ on it. “Rumple…” she trailed off, eyeing it critically.

“Please, Belle. You once told me the best way to earn someone’s trust is to trust them. I’m trusting you with my dagger. So please, trust me.”

“Is this really your dagger?” Belle asked warily.

“Of course,” Rumple replied, somewhat indignantly.

Emma’s internal lie detector didn’t go off, and she gave Belle and Ruby the signal. Belle smiled and took the shovel from Rumple as Ruby raced out of the bushes. One second Belle and Rumple were standing together beneath a tree. The next, Rumple was on the ground, an oversized wolf pinning him down.

“Belle?” Rumple gasped. “What are you doing?”

“What has to be done,” Belle replied coldly, dropping the box before tucking the dagger into her dress. “See you soon, Rumple.” She turned and quickly headed toward the woods where Emma was waiting, magic swirling around her wrists in anticipation of the Dark One striking back somehow. Luckily, he didn’t seem to have access to magic in this realm either. Once Belle had joined Emma, and Ruby had knocked the Dark One unconscious with a large paw to the head (Belle had assured them both he couldn’t actually be killed, and that his magic would automatically heal him once Emma jumpstarted the dagger), the large wolf bounded over to her companions and they hurried back to the Benz. Once everyone was in human form again, Emma drove them back to the vault, doing her best to ignore the unease swirling in her stomach. They had actually obtained the dagger, meaning she was going to have to become the Dark One. Fuck.


	21. I Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saturday updates are back! Sorry it took me so long, y'all. I didn't have internet over winter break, and now that I'm back at college I'm having to deal with my horrible scheduling choices (taking two 5 credit hour courses at once is not fun).  
Anyway, I finally got around to writing this- hope you enjoy it! ^^

“He actually gave you the dagger?” Regina asked in shock. Emma, Ruby, and Belle had come tumbling down the stairs mere moments before, Ruby with a feral grin and Belle clutching a familiar wavy dagger.

“Of course,” Belle responded, a gleam of triumph in her eyes. “I got you the dagger just like I said I would, and Rumple won’t be able to come after us for a bit thanks to Ruby.” Regina reached for the dagger, but Belle quickly hid it in the folds of her dress. “Not so fast, your majesty. Emma and I have a deal. I’ll only give her the dagger when we’re actually meeting with the kidnappers.”

“They called me, not Miss Swan.” Regina’s brow furrowed as she glanced between Emma and Belle. What deal? Both women glanced away guiltily, and Regina felt a familiar sense of foreboding. “What do you two have planned?” When neither responded Regina stepped past Belle and got in Emma’s face. “If you think you can pull some kind of stunt that puts _my_ _son_ in danger—”

“Regina, relax. I promise you that we will get Henry back safe, okay?” Emma placed her hands on Regina’s upper arms and began rubbing small circles into her shoulders with her thumbs soothingly. “This deal has nothing to do with him. Belle just needs some help, and since I’m supposed to be some kind of saviour she came to me. Henry is going to be fine. We’ll get him back, I promise.”

Ruby watched the saviour and the queen, her eyes narrowed. She may not remember why she was a werewolf, but since when did Madame Mayor let anyone but Henry close enough to touch her? She expected the brunette to pull back, or to slap Emma’s hands away, but instead she just went still a moment, almost like she was actually taking comfort from the action. What the hell was going on?

“I’m going to hold you to your word, Miss Swan,” Regina said quietly, intense brown eyes locked with Emma’s. “Henry is everything to me. We have to get him back.”

“We will.” Emma gave the queen a reassuring smile. Regina would get Henry back. And this time, she’d have him all to herself, because Emma… The blonde buried the thought before it could surface. She was doing what she had to to save Henry, and it wasn’t like last time. She wasn’t leaving her baby in the hands of the same system that failed her—she was leaving him with his mother. Henry and Regina would be okay. They had to be. That was the only thing that would make it possible for her to leave.

“Ahem.” Zelena held up a bottle and waved it around. “We still need to finish this potion, Regina. Or are you going to stand there and stare into _Miss Swan_’s eyes forever?”

Regina rolled her eyes and pulled away from Emma, heading over to her insufferable sister. “There are only two ingredients left, Zelena. Do you really not know how to make a simple potion?”

“This isn’t a simple potion!” Zelena exclaimed indignantly. “I haven’t even heard of half of these ingredients! What the hell is this even for?”

“Well, Miss Swan had a point. Even if Ruby has incapacitated the Dark One for now, he could show up at any time to reclaim his beloved dagger. So, we need a potion that will work not only against non-magical kidnappers, but the Dark One as well. And since there isn’t any squid ink on hand, we’ll be using this.” Regina dropped the final ingredients into the potion, and the gathered group watched with fascination as the formerly opaque liquid was overtaken by a burst of deep purple that held a slight glow. The queen gently swirled it until the entire potion held the purple hue, then put a thick cork in the round glass bottle and set it in her purse, wrapped in a thick towel to protect it from breaking. Everyone was very unsettled at how careful she was with it. What the hell could it do? “Shall we?” Regina slung her bag over her shoulder and led the way out of the vault.

Once everyone was outside and in the Benz, Emma piped up. “Shall we… what, exactly? Isn’t the meeting at noon tomorrow?”

“Miss Swan, if you really think I’d let some kidnappers keep my son overnight, you are sorely mistaken. As they are so willing to risk my wrath, I’m sure they wouldn’t mind meeting up earlier than their predetermined rendezvous to obtain their precious dagger.”

Regina called Henry’s phone, and while they waited for it to ring, Emma slumped down in her seat and closed her eyes. Dammit. Fuck fuck fuck fuck! She thought she’d have til tomorrow at least. She should have realized there was no way Regina would wait to get Henry back, and if she hadn’t been so worried about what was to come, she probably would have. The sooner they got Henry back, the better, but now she was going to have to become the Dark One. Surprisingly, she wasn’t that worried about killing the current Dark One. She’d grown up writing the stories of his victims. She knew a lot of the bad stuff he had done, more so than most others, really, and him being gone could only make the world better. Her taking in that darkness, though. She wasn’t sure if even she could repress it, child of True Love or not. Did that even matter when it came to something like this? What if she became even worse that he had been? She’d probably had more trauma throughout her life, and darkness just loves to prey on that, to twist it to evil. That was exactly what Rumplestiltskin had done to Regina, after all.

She was so lost in her own spiraling thoughts of darkness and doom she was only vaguely aware that the kidnappers had agreed to Regina’s new terms and that they were now on their way to the pier. She was roused from her reflections when she felt the cool handle of the dagger slipped into her hand by Belle. She looked up and met the brunette’s cold eyes, her own full of fear.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Emma whispered to her. Zelena and Regina couldn’t hear since they were up front, but Ruby heard just fine. What had Belle asked Emma to do? Certainly it wasn’t anything too bad, right?

“You have to. We have a deal.” Belle turned away from the woman and looked out the window, her stomach turning. She sounded just like _him_. Exploiting people’s weakness and desperation to further her own interest. She told herself she was different though. That she was doing this for her child. _That’s how he started too_, the little voice in her head piped up. _You two really are a match made in Hell._

“We’re here,” Regina announced, pulling into a parking space near the pier. “Belle,” she turned to face the backseat, “give me the dagger.”

“I only trust Emma with it,” Belle said, injecting as much steel into her tone as she could. “Take her with you, and she’ll hand it over.”

“They didn’t technically say you had to come alone,” Emma interjected before Regina could protest. “Besides, you’ll need backup if they try to pull a fast one on ya.” She gave the queen a wavery grin, and Regina narrowed her eyes at her before sighing.

“Fine. Let’s get this over with. Once I have Henry back, I can destroy them.” Emma was surprised she could feel sorry for the people who had caused all of this, but the murderous look of determination in Regina’s eyes did the trick.

The Saviour and the Evil Queen walked side by side to the pier in silence, Emma’s grip on the dagger so tight her knuckles were bleached white. Regina would glance at her every now and again, concerned (more than she had any right to be in her opinion, considering it was Henry who was truly in danger). What had Emma so worried? She had promised to get Henry back safely, and Regina had dealt with enough liars in her life to recognize a true promise. So what was going on?

“Regina,” Emma said quietly, a few moments before they stepped onto the pier. “No matter how this goes down, I promise you I’ll make sure you and Henry are safe. I promise.” She didn’t look over at the queen, worried the woman would be able to read the fear and uncertainty in her eyes and mistake it for misgivings about what she had said. Truly, Emma was only fearful for their future, for what she might do to the queen and their son should she meet them as the Dark One. She was certain they would rescue Henry. The entire time they’d been walking she’d been funneling magic into the dagger, and she could feel it humming with energy, ready for her to command it.

“Miss Swan—"

“Nice to see you again, your majesty.” Regina jerked her gaze from Emma and stared in shock at the man on the deck.

“Hook?”

“Yes, yes, glad to see you remember me. Now, do you have the dagger, or not?” He made a dramatic show of moving his hook closer to the small figure she now saw standing beside him. Henry was very still, wrists and ankles bound, and had an old rag stuffed in his mouth. His eyes were wide, with wonder at being near Captain Hook or with fear of being injured, Regina couldn’t tell.

“We have the dagger,” Regina said evenly, her eyes not leaving her son. She gestured vaguely at Emma, who held the dagger up so the pirate could see it.

“Good, good. Sheriff Swan, if you’d be so kind as to hand that to my associate, we can have this nasty business over with in no time.”

Emma whirled around when the stomp of heavy boots announced a new arrival on the pier, seemingly stepping out of midair, though now that she looked closer she could see the vague outline of a ship in the magic swirling through the air. Had they cloaked their vessel somehow? Did that mean they could access magic in this realm, just like she could? She pulled her gaze from the bespelled ship to assess the pirate’s partner.

“What the actual fuck?”

Regina swiveled to face Emma, a frown on her face. Apparently, one was not allowed to cuss, even when attempting a rescue mission and coming face to face with one’s abhorrent past.

“Hey, Ems.” Neal grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. He wished Killian had let him sit this part out. He really wasn’t looking forward to the ire of Emma Swan. He had gotten her knocked up and locked up, after all. “Long time no see.”

“You know him?” Regina hissed. Emma knew one of the kidnappers. ‘What the actual fuck?’ was right for this situation.

“I… he’s… you kidnapped your own… what the fuck, Neal? How do you even know Captain Hook? What’s going on?” Emma went to put her hands on her hips, nearly cutting herself with a certain magical blade in the process. “Shit.”

“I’d be more careful with that, if I were you—”

“Oh, so _now_ you wanna use protection?”

Regina looked from her blonde companion to the strangely familiar man opposite her, who grimaced at Emma’s comment. Her brain worked quickly to put all the pieces together. Kidnapping his own… using protection… those eyes…

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Regina deadpanned. “_This_ idiot is Henry’s father?”

“Hey, now, your majesty, no need to be mean,” Neal said indignantly.

“You kidnapped my son. I have every reason to be mean. You should just be glad I can’t fry your ass in this realm.”

“Oh my gods and goddesses you cursed. Like cussing, not actual cursing, we all know you’ve done that… but anyway damn.” Emma was watching Regina with wide eyes. The queen was glaring at Neal with a passion Emma hadn’t seen in awhile. Was she afraid he was trying to take Henry too, now? Surely she wouldn’t hate him on Emma’s account—she didn’t even know the full story.

Neal sighed and turned to Emma, figuring provoking the so-called Evil Queen wasn’t a good idea. “Look, Ems, I’m sorry for what happened, okay? I really did like you. I just… Killian had a plan to get revenge on my dad, and I couldn’t pass it up. Not after he told me what that monster did to my mother. The Dark One destroyed my family, and now we’re going to destroy him.” Neal’s mouth set in a grim line, and Emma immediately knew there was no reasoning with him when he was like this, especially if he was truly Baelfire.

“We don’t actually have a plan for that yet, but if anyone knows how to kill a crocodile, it’ll be the crocodile himself. Now, love, be a good girl and hand over that dagger.”

Emma hesitated, and Regina noticed immediately. “Do it, Emma. Let’s just get Henry and get out of here. Let Rumplestiltskin reap what he’s sown.” She wouldn’t miss the man. He was a jackass.

Emma held the dagger out toward Neal, but before he could grab it she cried, “Dark One, I summon thee!” In a swirl of black smoke, Mr. Gold appeared, his skin now scaly and sparkly, his eyes as wild as his hair. Everyone else was too shocked at his appearance, and his use of magic, in a realm supposedly without any, to react. “Save Henry.” Emma used her own inherent magic to funnel her will into the dagger so Gold couldn’t go astray, and in less than a second Henry was at her side, his binds and gag gone. Regina latched onto him immediately, seriously considering never letting him ago again, her eyes checking him for any injuries before sliding irresistibly back to Emma to see what the hell she thought she was doing.

By the time Regina looked back up, Hook and Neal were on the ground, thick rope binding their unconscious forms. Gold was looking at Neal with an oddly compassionate expression, and the strange stillness of it all was broken by a yell from the beach.

“Do it, Emma! Hurry! You promised!” Everyone turned to see Belle, her hair and clothes being blown about by the wind. This was the last sight Rumplestiltskin saw before the dagger was plunged into his chest.

He collapsed to the pier, and no one made a sound. He rose his tortured gaze to the Saviour, though she could tell he was more focused on the Darkness pouring out of him and into her. “You… Emma… you were supposed… to bring back all… the happy endings… even… mine.” And so Rumplestiltskin died, and the title and powers of Dark One passed to none other than the destined Saviour, Emma Swan. She disappeared without even a puff of smoke, the dagger clattering to the uncaring wooden planks of the pier.

A beat of silence passed, then another. Regina and Henry both ran to the dagger, the former collapsing to her knees beside it. She picked it up with trembling hands and turned it over, the ominous font spelling ‘Emma Swan’ making her feel an empty coldness in her chest. Emma was gone.


	22. Nah

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, folks! I've been stuck doing hw and taking tests, and now all of my professors are struggling to make their classes online for the rest of the semester thanks to the corona virus. Yay humanity. Anyway, as you will probably realize by the end of this chapter, I am a ridiculous person who doesn't take anything seriously, including the Dark One. So yes, Emma is the Dark One. But she's chill and still 100% a goofball. =)

Minutes after the mayor and Emma had left, Belle climbed out of the car and followed after them without saying a word to her companions. Zelena followed eagerly, wanting to see what went down. Ruby hesitated before following them, not wanting to incur the wrath of the mayor, and also not really wanting to see what happened. She had a bad feeling things were about to turn to shit. Still, she followed the other young women, concerned for her friends. Friend? Did she consider Regina and Belle to be her friends? Well, Henry was her friend, and so was Emma, so yeah, sure, friends. Why not? Not Zelena though. That witch gave her the creeps.

Ruby was surprisingly far behind Belle and Zelena and couldn’t seem to catch up. The young women were walking at a very quick pace, and Ruby paused a moment to ditch her shoes because heels and sand didn’t go together (and she didn’t want to turn into a wolf and get sand in her fur). By the time Ruby caught up to Belle and Zelena, they had already stopped a fair distance from the pier and Belle had yelled for Emma to do whatever it was she had promised. Ruby got there in time to see Emma stab what looked like Mr. Gold in some kind of gross cosplay. Her shock rooted her to the ground, and she watched helplessly as a dark cloud poured out of Gold and into Emma, before her friend finally disappeared. She was there, blonde hair being tossed about by the wind, looking at Regina and Henry as darkness swirled around her, and then she was just gone.

“Emma!” Ruby raced past Belle, who was slowly sinking to her knees, and Zelena, who seemed frozen, and skidded to a stop on the pier opposite the mayor and her son. She squinted against the sunlight glinting off the dagger that had once read ‘Rumplestiltskin’ and saw that it now read ‘Emma Swan’. “What happened?” Ruby cried. “Why did she do that? Where is she?”

No one answered her. Regina stayed kneeling on the pier, cradling the dagger, her son staring at it with shocked, sad eyes. Ruby took on her wolf form, hoping to smell Emma somewhere, but there was no trace of her. She whined and trotted around the pier, avoiding Gold’s body and sneezing when she got too near the tied-up men thanks to the one in black leather’s odor of rum and cheap cologne. Her nose soon led her to the camouflaged ship, and she bounded up the plank and ran all around the vessel, hoping to find Emma. There was no one on board. She emerged from the ship’s cloaking slowly, her head down, doing her best to contain the whine deep in her throat. She plopped down next to Regina, still in wolf form, and watched as Zelena knelt next to Gold, tears in her eyes.

“Mom,” Henry whispered, sniffling, “Where did Emma go?”

“I… I don’t know Henry.” Regina didn’t know anything about becoming a new Dark One. Who would know, except the Dark One themself? Unless… “Belle.” Regina stood quickly and turned to face the beach, her eyes alighting instantly on the brunette collapsed on the sand. Her grip tight around the dagger’s handle, she strode towards the woman, not sparing a glance for the kidnapping buffoons or her dead mentor. “BELLE!” She barked as she came to a stop, Henry and a certain wolf as few steps behind. “Why did Emma kill Gold? Where is she?”

“I-I told her to,” Belle sobbed, hiccupping. “I needed her to kill Rumple, she was the only one who could- I had to- I- there wasn’t another option! She’s in Misthaven now- as- as the Dark One.”

“Why did you have Swan kill Rumple?” Zelena had joined the group now and was glaring down at the pathetic woman who had caused Rumple’s demise. How dare she!“I’m pregnant. With Rumple’s child. I couldn’t let him do to us what he did to his first family. And I knew he’d never- never stop searching for his child. It took centuries, but he managed to get to Bae.” Belle gestured to the man tied up on the dock.

“Why Emma?” Regina pressed her. “They called me. It would have made more sense for you to bargain with me to kill Rumple in exchange for saving Henry. So why Emma?” If anyone had to kill the Dark One to save Henry, it should have been Regina. Why had Belle made Emma do it?

“Emma was the only one who could do it. Who could summon him. It had to be her.” Belle sniffled and scrubbed at her tear-stained face.

“Emma could access magic,” Zelena breathed in realization. “That’s how she knew I couldn’t back in the mines! When you said someone with magic could make the dagger work, you meant Emma!”

Regina looked from Zelena to Belle with wide eyes. “So that’s what your deal was, then? You get her the dagger, and she uses it to save her child and then kill your true love?”

“Yes,” Belle whispered, feeling the shame overcome her. The Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch were villains to be sure, yet they were looking at her with disgust. Even Ruby looked sickened.

“But… you’re supposed to be a hero.” Henry said softly. Belle was a hero. She had sacrificed herself to save her kingdom, and had almost cured the Dark One. How could she do something so bad? How could she take away his family? “I don’t understand. Why are you… why?!” Tears started running down Henry’s cheeks and he screamed at Belle. “How could you do this? How could you make my mom become the Dark One?! YOU’RE A VILLAIN! I’LL NEVER SEE EMMA AGAIN BECAUSE OF YOU!” He screamed something else, but he was crying too hard for anyone to understand. Regina’s heart broke. She pulled her sobbing son to her and he clung to her as he cried, occasionally shouting things about heroes and villains that she couldn’t make out. She had hated his avid belief in fairy tales, in heroes and villains being black and white, but she hated this even more. Reality had broken her baby boy.

She had to fix it. She had to get Emma back.

“Henry, darling, I need you to calm down.” She pulled back from him slightly and brushed his hair out of his face. “We can get Emma back.”

Henry looked at her incredulously, but seeing her determination gave him hope. He didn’t know why the Evil Queen would help him bring back the Saviour, but he needed something to latch onto. He felt like he was drowning. “H-how?” He asked, his voice hoarse and watery.

“Belle said Emma went to Misthaven. So we’re going to go there too and figure out how to free her from the darkness. We’ll save her.” Regina held back from promising. She wasn’t going to promise something she didn’t know she could pull off, but she was damn sure going to try to do it. For Henry. But also for Emma. Emma had helped her get Henry back. She had been doing everything in her power to be kind to them both, despite Regina’s harsh treatment of her. And despite herself, Regina found that she actually like the Saviour. Just a little though.

“Again, how?” Zelena asked. How did her sister plan on traversing realms, when the only person who could access magic had already gone?

“With this,” Regina said calmly, pulling the potion she and Zelena had made from her purse. She held it high above her head, admiring the swirls of purple throughout highlighted by the sunlight for a moment, before hurling it at the ground. Ruby and Zelena jumped accordingly. The glass shattered, but the potion didn’t seep into the sand. It stayed on top like a toxic slime before beginning to secrete thick purple clouds of smoke. She wrapped both arms securely around Henry as the smoke engulfed them, and soon after the entire town was taken too.

When Regina’s arms finally loosened around Henry, the boy glanced around curiously. They were in the middle of a forest, the trees rising so high he could barely make out their tops and their trunks so wide he wouldn’t have been able to wrap his arms all the way around them. Ruby and Zelena were standing near them, and he gasped as more people began appearing in puffs of purple smoke. Mr. Gold’s body, the two men who had kidnapped him, and then the fairy tale characters he had read about started appearing in groups and one by one. He spotted some fairies, now in pastel dresses instead of habits, dwarves in dirty clothes with pickaxes over their shoulders, and Snow White in a nightgown, Prince Charming by her side in a bloody uniform. They were all rubbing their heads, looking at each other in astonishment and confusion. Murmuring broke out, everyone turning to the royals to ask what had happened. Had they all suffered a mass delusion? What was going on? Prince Charming was trying to calm them down, not understanding their confusion since he’d been in a coma while they’d all been living alternate lives, but Snow White’s eyes searched the crowds frantically, finally settling on Regina and Henry, his face still red from crying.

“Regina!” Snow cried out. She made her way towards the Evil Queen, for Regina was now dressed in one of her outlandish regal gowns, barely noticing the now-quiet crowd that was parting to let her pass. “Where is she? Where is Emma?”

“Snow?” Charming questioned, chasing after her. “What are you doing? That’s the Evil Queen! We need to get out of here!”

Snow didn’t stop though, pulling free from her husband’s grip and stopping only a few feet from the woman they all feared. “Where is my daughter? What happened?”

“I don’t know where Emma is,” Regina replied calmly. “Thanks to the antics of a pirate, a thief, and a bookworm, she is now here in the Enchanted Forest. As the Dark One.”

“What?” Snow cried. She turned to Red, hoping her friend would dispute this, but Ruby, now in possession of all her memories, merely nodded. “How? What happened, Regina?”

“Yeah, queenie, what happened?”

Regina whirled around in surprise at the familiar voice and came face to face with Emma. Only, she didn’t really look like Emma anymore. Her hair was shorter than Henry’s, spiked and bleached white, her skin so pale it looked like she’d never seen the sun. She wore all black: a tank top and ripped jeans, boots rising knee high. A leather jacket with silver studs topped it all off, and Regina was somewhat astonished at the amount of dark eyeliner the Saviour was wearing.

“Going through your goth phase, are you?” Regina couldn’t resist asking. She looked ridiculous. All she was missing were some gaudy pieces of skull jewelry.

Emma scowled. “I was trying to give you your happy ending. So why did you ruin it all by breaking the curse?”

“Emma,” Snow whispered in horror. “What… are you really the Dark One?”

“Regina’s got the proof,” Emma said sullenly, shrugging. Which is when Regina remembered she had the dagger. She reached into one of the hidden pockets on her dress and pulled it out, happy at least that it hadn’t been lost when she’d come back to the Enchanted Forest. Then again, she now had a Dark One glowering at her, so maybe they would’ve all been better off. “So now what?”

“Now we save you,” Regina answered simply. The gathered crowd gasped at this response, and Snow looked at her in surprise. “What? She’s Henry’s mother too, and she’s the only person besides him in Storybrooke I can stand. If I have to deal with all of _you_, I might as well have someone interesting around.”

“That’s all well and good,” Emma groused, “but I’d like to make you all aware of this realm’s worst evil-”

“Please don’t say you,” Regina interrupted with a smirk. Emma just rolled her eyes.

“Nah. There’s no tv.”


	23. Baby Dark One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see! ................I sound like a suspicious cave man...
> 
> Anyway, turns out doing college online sucks cuz now I can, drumroll please, procrastinate my actual classes instead of just my homework! Ha ha ha I'm doomed. So yeah that's my excuse for taking so hecking long to update. Good news is I should be able to do my Saturday updates again now since I have a sort of schedule for school work: do my two easy classes throughout the week, then cram all of my math into Saturday and all of my physics into Sunday. Also my sleep schedule is fucked so I'm updating at about 5am cuz I started writing this Friday night. So this is fine. Yup.
> 
> So here's an update! Also I just really wanna say that Belle has gone from 'bookworm' to 'snake' and Emma is in Dark One mode... like dark mode in an app... yeah it's too early for my humor to make sense....
> 
> I hope you enjoy this update and stay safe (translation: don't be a dumdum)! ^^

“This place is cool. Nice aesthetic, queenie.” Emma’s voice was a bit gravellier and more subdued than usual, and quite frankly Regina had expected her to complain like she had at the cemetery.

“Really, Miss Swan? You don’t feel the need to vulgarly exclaim your shock and surprise at my dreary choice of a lair?” Regina asked with a slight grin. The Storybrooke party had reached her castle. The gleaming black spires pierced the grey clouds above, the wind howling through the trees making for a pleasingly eerie scene. Regina, Henry, Zelena, and Ruby were in the lead, Emma trailing close behind and doing her best to be apart from the rest. Snow and her Prince Charming were a little ways away, leading the former denizens of Storybrooke as Snow tried to catch her husband up to what was happening. He seemed to not believe the grouchy Dark One was the little baby he’d only just sent away.

“I just didn’t know how to appreciate darkness back then,” Emma said somewhat ominously. Regina stopped and turned to face her, confusion written all over her face.

“_Back then_?” She asked, ignoring everyone else’s grumbling about suddenly having to halt. “And exactly how long ago was _back then_?”

“You don’t know?” Emma asked, the surprise almost making her voice rise to its old pitch. “Well, I guess that makes sense. The kid still looks ten after all.”

“Emma, what are you talking about?” Ruby’s voice was full of dread, and now they had everyone’s attention, especially Snow’s.

“I don’t know how long it’s been for you guys,” Emma began, “but I’ve been here for nearly a decade already.” Snow exclaimed in surprise, something about Emma still looking the same age as before, but the Dark One just rolled her eyes. “I’m immortal now, remember? Besides, did you guys really think I gave in to the darkness my first day?” Emma put her hands behind her head, elbows jutting out on either side as she casually leaned against nothing. “Time has always moved differently in Misthaven than it did in the Land Without Magic. The difference didn’t used to be so drastic, but the Dark Curse messed with some stuff.”

“So it’s the Queen’s fault, then!” Grumpy yelled. As usual, his big mouth quickly spurred everyone into an angry mob. “And why are we following her anyway? Especially to her _lair_? She’s the _Evil_ Queen!” Snow looked at Regina, panicked. The Queen had been on her best behavior so far, but what would she do if everyone kept rioting- or even attacked her? What if something happened to Henry in the process?!

Regina, a dark scowl on her face, quickly stepped between the mob and Henry, throwing up a crackling purple shield around herself and her son as the crowd, spurred by old fear and new frustration, surged forward. They quickly surrounded the purple bubble, hands and weapons beating against the magical barrier as Snow and Charming shouted for everyone to stop, only to be ignored and pushed to the outskirts of the chaos.

Henry whimpered and wrapped his arms around his mom’s waist, not understanding why all the ‘good guys’ were trying to hurt them. Good and evil didn’t seem to make sense anymore. And why was no one listening to his grandparents? Weren’t they supposed to be great leaders?

Regina’s magic was strong, but she hadn’t used it in over twenty-eight years, and the mob surrounding them was battering against the shield with whatever they could find- rocks, sticks, swords, their bare hands. Cracks began to form, and the queen realized that if she wanted to save Henry and herself, she would have to fight. The shield had drained too much of her magic for her to risk teleporting herself _and_ Henry. Just as her shield shattered into nothing, she began to lash out with a wave of dark magic, but it was cut off as she and Henry were abruptly dropped onto one of the balconies of her castle. “What the hell?”

They peered over the railing and watched as the mob crashed together in the place they’d been only a moment ago, those in the front ending up sprawled on the ground as those behind fell on top of them, resulting in a large heap of angry confusion. Their muttering and shouting was drowned out by a throaty cackle. Emma was standing in the same place as before, head back as she did a fair impression of an evil laugh.

“Miss Swan!” Regina hollered down angrily. “Why didn’t you help earlier?” Instead of yelling back to her Emma blinked out of existence before reappearing beside her and Henry.

“Oh come on, queenie. Where’s the fun in that? I wanted to see them all topple over like little dominos. Besides, you and the kid are okay, right?” Emma looked them over, an ever so slightly maniacal grin on her face.

“That was mean, Emma.” Henry said it quietly, cowed by his birth mother’s new appearance and manner.

“Well it wasn’t very nice of them to try to murder you both, now was it? They’re lucky this was all I did.” Emma muttered the last part, the humor suddenly gone from her face as she glowered down at the people still untangling themselves. Regina felt Emma’s magic begin to pulse, growing stronger and more oppressive, and fearing she might massacre everyone in front of Henry she reached out and grabbed her hand. The pressure she was feeling from the magic immediately disappeared as Emma looked over at her in surprise.

“We’re fine now, Emma. Everyone was just stressed- I’m sure once they get some rest and adjust to being back here, they’ll be less… prone to violence.” Regina met Emma’s eyes, trying to put as much meaning into her gaze as she could.

Snow burst onto the balcony, her husband right behind her. “Regina, Henry! Are you both okay?” Regina merely raised her eyebrow at the woman in disbelief, though Henry ran to her (forcing Regina to drop Emma’s hand) and was quickly engulfed in a hug. David watched in confusion.

“Why’d they do that, Grandma? How come they didn’t listen to you guys?” The child’s voice was muffled but audible.

“Wait, ‘Grandma’?” David sputtered. “Who? Wha- how… who even is this kid?”

“Your grandson,” Regina said with a sigh. David turned his wide eyes to her.

“But I thought he was your kid? He’s named after your father!” David was pointing between Regina and Henry, as if that would somehow prove him right.

“I gave birth to him but had to give him up, and Regina adopted him.” Emma stepped over to the even more confused man, who had started to say something along the lines of ‘but she’s the evil queen why’. “See, in the Land Without Magic you don’t just shove your child into an enchanted tree and expect everything to work out. And yeah, y’all have dubbed Regina the Evil Queen, but she’s the one who raised and loved your grandson. She’s done more for him than either of you did for me.” Emma bared her teeth in the semblance of a smile. “And by the way, he’s also the grandson of Rumplestiltskin.”

“Really?” Snow looked at Emma in surprise, as did Regina. She’d been so worried about the saviour-turned-Dark-One on the beach that she hadn’t put together the fact that Neal being Baelfire meant Henry was related to Rumple. Oof.

“Yup. I would say some very suggestive things here but immortality or no Regina would definitely find a way to kill me.” Emma gave a lopsided grin, and Regina snorted.

“Wise choice, baby Dark One.”

“Oh, c’mon! I thought being darkness incarnate or whatever was supposed to be intimidating!” Emma whined and stomped her foot. Regina couldn’t help but laugh.

“Sorry, Emma, but I can’t really see you as evil. Just a little more chaotic than usual.” Regina grinned at her, deciding to ignore Snow and David’s shocked stares. Yes, she could have pleasant interactions with people other than Henry. It wasn’t that odd. Okay maybe it was, but still- how rude.

“I can totally be evil! I… I killed the Dark One!”

“He was a villain, dear. Killing one tends to make you a hero.” Regina smirked at Emma’s annoyed floundering.

“Well… I managed to annoy all of the voices in my head into silence!”

“Voices?” David stepped back, pulling his wife and grandson with him as he reached for his sword. “What voices?”

“The previous Dark Ones, duh. They kept trying to egg me on and make me be like them, so I did the exact opposite of whatever their biggest evil deed was and made fun of them the whole time. It was great.” Emma sighed nostalgically. “I managed to make hundreds of people and a handful of weird creatures so mad at me they give me the silent treatment now instead of the normal Dark One initiation bull shi- crap.”

“Then why have you succumbed to the darkness?” Everyone turned at the voice to see Belle standing in the balcony’s entrance, Ruby and Zelena behind her. Belle was clutching the edge of the entrance, looking exhausted and ready to faint. Ruby seemed to be both guarding her from Zelena and ready to guard the others from her if need be. “For you to look like this, you must have done _something_ evil. Especially if it’s been ten years. That’s the only way they’d leave you alone.”

Emma blinked at her for a moment, and Regina got ready to throw a shield around Belle (not for the snake’s sake, but for the baby’s). Magic whirled around the Dark One and disappeared, leaving Emma looking as she had back on the dock in Storybrooke- blonde curls, red jacket, blue jeans and all. A moment later she was back in Dark One mode.

“This look is just more intimidating, really. Plus I couldn’t afford to have a goth phase when I was growing up, so this works.” She gave a cheeky grin.

“Th-that’s not possible,” Belle muttered. Her eyelids fluttered and she fainted. Ruby barely caught her before she hit the ground.

“Wonderful,” Regina groused. “Now we have to call the doctor up here. And he’s back to being Frankenstein, so this should be a fun reunion.” Emma made a face. Snow White visibly blanched.

Emma waved her hand and Belle was poofed over to the small bed in the room. Ruby quickly walked over and sat by her. Snow sent David to get “Dr. Whale, or Dr. Frankenstein, whichever he answers to now” before taking Henry over to be by Belle and Ruby. Zelena went off to explore her sister’s castle, not caring a bit about the pregnant princess since she knew the wolf girl wouldn’t let her do anything. Emma and Regina were alone on the balcony.

“Why didn’t you kill her?” Regina murmured, watching her son even as she awaited the Dark One’s answer.

“I don’t forgive her, if that’s what you’re thinking. Hell, I probably hate her more now than I did ten years ago. But I do understand her. Plus I’m not gonna take out my grudge on an unborn baby.” Emma paused a moment. “Besides, I blew off steam during the hike earlier.” Emma pulled a familiar hook from thin air, a wicked grin on her face. Regina regarded it coldly, trying not let her concern for Emma show.

“Did you kill them?”

“Nope.” Emma popped the ‘p’ sound as per usual and smiled brightly. “Well, assuming they survive being a weasel and a rat in the Enchanted Forest.” Regina raised her eyebrows. Emma grinned even broader. “Oh, don’t worry, queenie! I know Henry’s gonna wanna meet daddy-o again when things settle down. I have my familiar, which is a very powerful shapeshifter, shadowing them for protection.”

“And what form does this shapeshifter have?”

“Currently? An overly large bird of prey.”

“So they won’t be dead- just terrified.”

“Yup!” Emma looked so pleased with herself- Regina found it kind of adorable. (Wait what?) “Oh look, Dr. Frankenstein is here. Mary Margaret slept with him, y’know.”

“…ew. I did not need to know that, Miss Swan.”

“Oh, c’mon! You were finally calling me Emma!”


	24. A Great Motivator

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, i have finally updated  
i’m an inconsistent bastard but i’ll try to update this again soon :)

It took a few hours, but soon the former inhabitants of Storybrooke were settled in the Queen’s castle. They were so paranoid about nefarious booby traps that Snow’s husband, who was insisting they call him David instead of James now, had to tour each room as those assigned to it watched, waving his sword around and looking very bored. Regina valiantly resisted the urge to have the furniture attack him. Emma did not, and her father had to fend off a violent wardrobe that was surprisingly skilled with a sword while the Dark One giggled until Regina, annoyed at her property being hacked to pieces, waved her hand and cancelled out the simple spell Emma had used. Emma pouted at her, but she just rolled her eyes in response. Emma stuck her tongue out and disappeared, much to everyone’s relief (though they all worried where she had gone and what she was doing).

Once everyone was settled, it was announced that certain key members of the party would be holding a meeting in the council chambers of the Queen’s castle. Regina, Henry, Snow and David, Ruby, Granny, the Blue Fairy, Jiminy Cricket, and Grumpy made their way to the room near the top of the castle. Emma was waiting near a window, a sleek black panther laying at her feet. The animal’s large paws were pinning a rat and a weasel to the stone floor, and any time either twitched it snarled at them.

“And here I thought I’d have to use the dagger to summon you,” Regina commented, eyeing the large cat warily. Emma scoffed.

“I knew you guys would wanna hold your little intervention in the fancy schmancy council room, so I figured I’d wait here once I was done retrieving some pests.” Emma turned away from the window and gave the people (and cricket) who had just come in a once over. “Why’d you change back to your business clothes, queenie? Everyone else stayed in their fairy tale garb.”

“I prefer Storybrooke to Misthaven. You of all people should know that,” Regina couldn’t help but say. Snow gave her a confused look, but she ignored the spoiled princess as usual. “Besides, dressing like I used to wasn’t exactly putting the peasants at ease, and I’d rather not have a repeat of what happened earlier.”

“Ah. Well, you look amazing in anything. At least I got to see one of those killer dresses in person,” Emma said, a wistful look in her eyes. Snow made a choking sound and Ruby snorted.

“Anyway,” Regina said hurriedly, thankful no one else seemed to realize what Emma was implying, “we need to discuss what comes next. Dr. Frankenstein will be bringing the snake up in half an hour so she can tell us if she knows of a way to break the Dark One’s curse, but in the meantime-”

“Are you forgetting the cliché way that most curses are broken in fairy tales, your majesty?” Emma interrupted, waggling her eyebrows suggestively. Ruby guffawed and Snow elbowed her. Everyone else looked very confused.

“Emma,” Regina began, pinching the bridge of her nose, “can you please try to be serious for at least a little while? I broke my own damn curse to come here and get you- you could at least try to make it a little easier on me.”

“Sorry,” Emma mumbled.

“Wait!” Grumpy yelled, finally finding a place to noisily disrupt the conversation. “Do you really expect us to believe you broke your own curse? Snow’s daughter is supposed to be the saviour- you’re just the Evil Queen! Quit lying you bi-” The dwarf’s yelling was cut off abruptly as he shrank down into a toadstool.

“Much better,” Emma said happily. Everyone turned to stare at her. “What? He’s really annoying. At least now he’s useful for something.” She walked over and picked the toadstool up. “Hey, Zelena!” Emma called out. “I found that toadstool you were looking for!”

The redhead whirled into the room and grabbed the toadstool from the Dark One.

“Thanks, Swan. With this I’ll be able to complete my potion!” Zelena said happily. Before she could leave with the much-needed ingredient Regina snatched it from her. “Hey! Give that back, sis!”

“You have a sister?” Granny asked the Queen, a slight look of horror on her face.

“Unfortunately,” Regina muttered. “And I’m not giving this back, Zelena. This is a dwarf.”

“I don’t care what kind of toadstool it is, it matches the picture in the magic book I found in your secret little room. Once I’ve added it to my potion I can get out of here and go back to Oz.” Zelena tried to grab the toadstool back but Regina easily dodged.

“So the Evil Queen’s sister is the Wicked Witch,” the Blue Fairy said serenely. “I can’t really say I’m surprised. Your family just seems to have bad blood, Regina.”

“Oh my goddess,” Emma said with a groan. “This is real life, not a Taylor Swift song. Just… ugh I get why Rumplestiltskin didn’t like fairies now. I mean, my mother didn’t cut my string of fate and become the Dark Fairy and enslave children or anything, but all y’all are a pain in the a- butt.”

“Rumple’s mother is the Dark Fairy?” Regina asked in surprise. At the same time, Blue blurted “How do you know that?”

“Yup. I took her down a few years ago though, so she’s not a problem anymore. And,” Emma continued, glaring at Blue, “I know because I’m the Author. Duh.”

Oh, there was so much to unpack there. So much. But Regina took a deep breath and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. While she was centering herself, however, Zelena managed to grab the toadstool back.

“Emma Swan,” Regina began, “don’t make me command you to turn him back.” She reached out and latched onto Zelena’s dress to stop her from running out of the room.

“Fine,” Emma grumbled. She waved her hand and Zelena shrieked as the toadstool turned into a small bearded man. The witch quickly let go of the top of his head and leaped back, knocking into Regina, who shoved her away with a small scowl on her face.

“Now then, does anyone else have something completely unproductive that they feel the need to say or can we actually get something done here?” Regina asked harshly, glaring at everyone except for Henry.

“I’d really rather not deal with Belle,” Emma piped up. “I can guarantee you I know more about being a Dark One than she does. Plus we can’t exactly trust her- I mean, she’s the reason I’m the Dark One now.” Emma shrugged.

“Why are you the Dark One, again?” David asked. Everyone was looking to Emma with open curiosity now and Regina facepalmed. She walked over and slumped down onto her throne, gesturing for the others to take a seat as well. Henry sat beside her, and for some reason Snow decided to sit on her other side, dragging David into the seat beside hers. The others followed their lead. Well, except for Emma of course. She sauntered over and hopped up onto the table, laying straight on her back so that she was looking up at Regina.

“Once upon a time, a helpless baby was shoved into a magic wardrobe,” Emma began in an ominous voice. Henry and Ruby snickered as Snow and David shifted uncomfortably. Emma cut off when Regina poked her on the forehead. “Okay, fine, the short version.” She rolled her eyes theatrically, clasping her hands over her stomach. “Rumplestiltskin’s late wife’s boyfriend and his long-lost son teamed up and kidnapped Henry cuz they wanted to kill Rumplestiltskin for killing his wife. They said if Regina didn’t get them the Dark One’s dagger we’d never see the kid again, blah blah blah, Belle would only give me the dagger if I killed Rumplestiltskin, blah blah blah, et cetera et cetera, I jump started the dagger with my true love baby magic and summoned the Dark One, got him to rescue Henry, and then stabbed him and became the Dark One, so I got poofed to the Enchanted Forest and now I’ve been here a decade amassing an empire.” Silence.

“Hmm,” Jiminy said thoughtfully, “it sounds like Belle and Mr. Gold could have benefited from couple’s counseling.”

“I will feed you to my panther,” Emma said darkly.

“Sorry!” The cricket chirped. He really didn’t wanna have to rely on the Queen saving him.

“I think you need to elaborate on that last part, Miss Swan,” Regina said flatly. Who the hell did Emma think she was, Genghis Khan?

“Uh, I don’t really wanna.”

“Too bad. Spit it out,” Regina snapped, her dark eyes narrowed as she stared into Emma’s green ones.

“But it’s kinda embarrassing,” Emma whined. Regina just raised an eyebrow, and Emma puffed out a breath. “How the hell does that still affect me? Dammit.”

“Language,” Regina and Henry chorused. Emma groaned.

“Sorry, geez.” Emma winced when Regina flicked her on the forehead. “Quit being mean,” Emma grumbled.

“Ems,” Ruby cut in. “Seriously, quit being a brat and tell us what you did.”

Emma sighed and sat up, swinging around and hopping off the table. She turned to face everyone, arms crossed over her chest as her face flushed bright red. She was tense as a bowstring. Regina raised her eyebrow again, and in a small burst of magic Emma’s appearance changed. Gone were the dark clothes, the short hair, and the heavy dark makeup. Emma stood before them in a bright pink ball gown, her hair in golden curls down her back and light makeup on her face. She looked every inch the princess she would have been had the curse not been cast… except for the translucent pink wings affixed to her back. She gave everyone a solid minute to stare before she went back to surly Dark One mode, and Regina couldn’t help it: she started laughing. And unfortunately for Emma it was contagious. Zelena was cackling and even Henry was giggling at her.

“You all suck,” Emma grumbled.

“Why on earth,” Regina managed to gasp, “would you dress like some kind of fairy princess? You’re supposed to be the Dark One, not the Pink One!” If the dress itself hadn’t been so ridiculous, Emma’s face while showcasing it would have caused the laughter regardless. She looked like a grumpy cat someone had shoved into a dress for Halloween.

“I thought you looked nice, dear,” Granny said, gasping for breath, “Really!” Even as she tried to reassure the poor blonde she drowned out her own words with giggles.

Emma remained stubbornly silent until the laughter had (mostly) ceased, glaring at everyone around the table.

“Despite what I thought,” Emma bit out, “the Dark Curse didn’t take everyone in this realm to Storybrooke.”

“You must be mistaken, Dark One,” Blue interrupted. Even Regina was looking at Emma with slight disbelief. “The curse was designed to take everyone- there is no way anyone was left behind.”

“When I got here,” Emma continued, ignoring the fairy, “the Enchanted Forest was overrun with ogres and other beasts. I located a small refuge that was home to some humans, and they told me that the curse had missed them- that they’d been frozen in some kind of bubble for 28 years. When they were able to move again they fled the area, fearing whoever had made the curse-resistant bubble, and found everything dilapidated and crawling with creatures that wanted to kill them. They asked for my help. And since I had a past Dark One whispering in my ear that I should just kill them, or at least leave them, I decided to help instead.”

“Of course you’d do the opposite of what you’re told,” Regina murmured. She gave Emma a small, affectionate smile, and a light blush appeared on the Dark One’s face.

“Y-yeah,” Emma stammered. She cleared her throat, glancing away from Regina. “So I relocated the wild creatures, and brokered a treaty with the ogres,” Emma paused as several people gasped. Apparently during the ogre wars no one had ever realized that ogres were intelligent enough to bargain with. Fools. “I rebuilt most of the buildings. Well, I completely changed most of them, honestly- dirt floors are freaking stupid. I tracked down more humans and had them meet up with people from the first refugee camp I found… only the people there told me if I didn’t wanna scare people I should pretend to be a fairy. So now everyone thinks I’m the Blue Fairy’s successor, and I kinda watch after and guard all of the new and old kingdoms in this realm. And by watch after I mean I keep them in line. Being the Author means I can find out anything they’re hiding from me and put a stop to it if I need to.” Emma looked proud of herself, and Regina had to admit that she was impressed.

“So even though you’re the Dark One now,” Henry said excitedly, “you’re still a good guy!”

“Henry,” Emma said softly. She knelt down slightly, so she was eye level with her son. “I have darkness inside of me, and I have to fight against it every day. The magic I use isn’t pure or good, but I choose to use it to help people. I have killed many bad people, yet I haven’t succumbed to the darkness.” She reached out and cupped Henry’s face. “Many would call me a villain. I am the Dark One, and while I myself haven’t done anything too bad, I have inherited the crimes of those who held the title before me. So in every sense of the word, I am evil.”

“No you’re not,” Henry protested weakly. “I… I haven’t seen you do anything evil. Just… just kinda naughty.”

“Yeah, I definitely didn’t make Santa’s nice list,” Emma said wryly. “But kid, I have done bad things, even if I had good reasons. And I didn’t always have good reasons. When I first got here I hadn’t learned to control my emotions or my powers yet, and I do regret some of what I did in fits of anger or despair. So yeah, I would say I’m evil. But I still love you, okay?” Henry nodded, eyes shining. “And once I had some free time here I learned how to use my powers as the Author, how to focus them. So I used them to figure out why you were so persistent about breaking your mom’s curse,” Emma continued quietly. Only Henry, Regina, and Snow could hear her now.

Henry bit his lip nervously, and Regina stiffened in her seat. Snow White just watched, shushing David when he asked what was being said.

“I know that you came and got me because you were scared, Henry,” Emma whispered. Henry sniffled, and he grabbed onto the edges of his seat, his hands shaking. “You thought that your mom being the Evil Queen meant she couldn’t love you. You thought you were alone, and you wanted me to come to Storybrooke so I could help you find people who _would_ love you.”

Regina was frozen, and when Henry nodded she felt herself start to cry. She was showing weakness in front of her enemies, but she couldn’t even care because her son had thought she didn’t love him. He’d felt scared and alone and she hadn’t known. He’d been sad and had lashed out and she had responded with frustration and anger, too scared of losing him to keep calm and try to figure out the root of his sudden obsession with breaking her curse.

“Here’s the thing, Henry.” Emma paused and pulled a folded piece of parchment from an inner pocket of her jacket. She handed it to Henry. “Even if someone _is_ evil, they can still love. And your mom loves you. She has since she got you. And I hope this will prove it to you. You trusted my book, _Once Upon a Time_, to be true, so I hope you’ll trust this too.”

Henry hadn’t realized that _Once Upon a Time_ had been written by Emma, but he figured it made sense- who else could have written it? So, hope and fear thrumming in his chest, he unfolded the parchment with trembling hands.

_Regina didn’t know what to do. Henry wouldn’t stop crying. Was she doing something wrong? What if he was sick? She took him to Dr. Whale, but he couldn’t find anything wrong with her baby. Desperate, she had Sidney get ahold of his adoption records to see if maybe it was something genetic, something that couldn’t be detected yet. What if he was in pain?_

_Henry’s birth mother had had him young, but that what wasn’t what caught her eye. No, what gave Regina pause was that she had been found by the side of a road near Storybrooke several years ago. On the same day Storybrooke had come to be. Anger and fear filled Regina as she stormed into Gold’s office. Henry, her Henry, was the son of Snow White’s child. It was the only explanation. Gold played dumb, but Regina could see the satisfied gleam in his cold eyes. He was_ _planning something, and Henry was part of it. She had sacrificed everything for her curse- she couldn’t let this baby ruin it._

_Regina took Henry back to the adoption agency, telling herself that it was for the best. This baby didn’t like her much anyway. He’d be better off with someone else. Far from the scheming Dark One. Far from the Evil Queen. She took him up to the office and left him with the person there. She walked to the door. But she looked back when he made a small sound, and it was like she couldn’t move. The little baby, her little baby, looked at her, so innocent, and she knew she couldn’t leave him. She couldn’t risk him getting put with a family who wouldn’t love him. Because, she realized then, she already loved him. It had been less than a week and the chubby little boy had_ _captured her heart. She couldn’t abandon him. She wouldn’t._

_Henry came back to Storybrooke with Regina, her mind working furiously the whole drive. She loved Henry, she did, but she needed to make sure that fear of whatever Gold was planning wouldn’t get in the way of that. She couldn’t risk treating her son poorly because of that damn imp. So when she got back to her town she went straight to the cemetery. She carried Henry into her vault, cooing at him and tickling his tummy, and she felt her heart overflowing with love and warmth as he gave delighted, gurgling giggles. How could she have even thought of leaving this darling little boy?_ _Regina used what little ingredients she had to mix a memory potion. She burned the adoption records and called Sidney, telling him to never bring them up again. Then, with one last look at Henry, she drank the potion. She would forget the future danger that was Emma Swan, and instead focus on loving and caring for her son. It was all she could do._

Henry read the words over and over and over until his eyes were so full of tears that they were just blurry ink. His mom had known that keeping him would jeopardize her curse, but she’d kept him anyway. She’d chosen him over her curse. She loved him so much she’d made herself forget what could happen in the future so she wouldn’t let the fear of it get in the way of raising him. His mom was still the Evil Queen, but she loved him. And, just like Emma, she hadn’t really done anything that bad since he’d come around. She wasn’t the nicest mayor, but she got things done and took care of the townspeople. And even when the mob had attacked them earlier she had defended herself instead of attacking them in turn. Because she loved him. She was trying to be the mom he remembered instead of the Evil Queen he’d read about and accused her of being. She was trying to change for him. She had changed for him. Because… she really did love him.

At some point Regina had gotten up to peer over Henry’s shoulder. She barely had time to finish reading when Henry leapt up and hurtled into her, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her as tightly as he could.

The Queen was still reeling at what she’d read, but she hugged her son back instinctively, quickly kneeling down so that he could bury his face in her shoulder while she stroked his back and combed her fingers through his hair.

“It’s alright, Henry. Everything is going to be okay, darling,” Regina cooed. She turned slightly and kissed the crown of his head, barely aware that anyone else, aside from a widely grinning Emma, was in the room. “You’re okay, baby. You’re okay.” Sobs continued to wrack his small frame and Regina was able to make out a garbled apology, and something that sounded distinctly like ‘I love you, Mom’. “I love you, Henry,” Regina said, her voice shaking. She looked up at Emma, whose eyes were noticeably bright. Before she could think better of it, Regine held her hand out to the saviour, and when Emma grabbed her hand, a confused look on her face (_Really, she wants to shake my hand right now, of all times???_), Regina yanked her down and into the hug.

Sandwiched between his mothers, Henry finally began to calm down a little, despite Emma’s initially stiff embrace. She wasn’t used to hugging, but Henry decided that she would be soon enough, Dark One or not.

The creak of the door to the council chambers opening announced the arrival of Dr. Whale and Belle, both of whom took in the scene with gaping mouths. The Evil Queen was crying, hugging her son… and the saviour? Wtf???

Snow elbowed David, who thankfully got the hint and sent Grumpy to escort the two out. They didn’t need Belle pissing off Emma. And Snow really didn’t want to think about what (or who) she’d done as Mary Margaret. She shuddered and turned her attention back to the surprisingly heartwarming scene of Regina hugging her daughter and grandson. She should probably be more bothered by all of this, but she was just so relieved that Emma hadn’t truly become a Dark One that she couldn’t bring herself to care. She should probably talk to her about her obvious crush on Regina though. Before David noticed.

Once Henry had calmed down and he and Regina had returned to their seats, Emma essentially floating in the space between them, he scrubbed the tear tracks from his face and did his best to look serious before he turned to Emma.

“Okay, Spero, Operation Cobra has been scrapped. Instead, you, me, Deputy Pistachio, and Queenie are gonna do Operation Mongoose,” Henry said. Regina raised an eyebrow at her son calling her ‘queenie’ and shot a questioning look to Emma (_What the hell was Operation Cobra?_), who indicated that she’d fill her in later. “This time the objective is to break the Dark One curse!” Henry declared.

“I never agreed to this!” Zelena squawked indignantly, immediately giving away her code name. Everyone decided to start calling her Deputy Pistachio exclusively.

“Oh, and anyone else who wants to help can,” Henry added as an afterthought. He didn’t really like the Blue Fairy all that much, and he really didn’t like Grumpy after the dwarf had led a mob to attack him and his mom, but he hoped his grandparents would help. And Ruby was pretty cool too.

“David and I will definitely help,” Snow declared. David still kind of thought he was in some kind of wacky nightmare, but he nodded his assent.

“I’ll help too,” Ruby chimed in. “I can’t help but ship this now. I have to see where it goes.” Ruby nearly laughed at Regina’s confused look and Emma’s glare. “Oh calm down, Ems. I’m a werewolf. Which means I’m super useful. Well worth all of the teasing I’m gonna put you guys through.” Snow really needed to pull Ruby aside before she tipped everyone off.

“I think I’d be more useful keeping an eye on everything here,” Granny said mildly. She was too old to deal with the drama that followed these people around. She was better off looking after all the boring people who would no doubt stay at the castle while the adventurous idiots went off and narrowly avoided death at every turn.

“I’ll help break the Dark One’s curse,” Blue said, “but I don’t think we should work with the Evil Queen.” The fairy leveled a frosty glare at Regina, who just rolled her eyes.

“And I don’t think we should work with you,” Emma said with a growl. “You have magic again. Go back to doing… whatever it is you fairies did before. Which apparently wasn’t much considering all of the confusion my fairy disguise got when I started helping people. From what I understand your lot only helped the royals.” Emma scowled at the fairy, who harrumphed and shrank, flying towards a window with her head held high. She shrieked when the panther leaped to its feet and swatted at her. “Hey, Lily, no. We don’t need to give that glittery blue bi- fairy any more reason to stick around.” The panther hissed as Blue fled. “Oh crap where did the dumdums go?” Emma exclaimed. The rat and weasel had run as soon as Lily had leaped up, releasing them. The panther quickly hunted both of them down, padding over to drop them at Emma’s feet.

“Ah,” Regina said. “I’d forgotten about them. We need to focus on your curse right now; my dungeons can hold them til we have time to deal with them.”

“You gonna put em down there like that or in their human forms?” Ruby asked curiously. Emma and Regina turned to her in shock. “What? The rat still smells like rum and cheap cologne.” She wrinkled her nose and the rat squeaked at her indignantly. “Aw, shaddup. It’s true.”

“Who are they?” David demanded, eyeing the Queen with distrust.

“The dumdums who kidnapped your grandson,” Emma supplied. David turned his glare onto the pests. “And I dunno, Rubes. What do you think, Regina?”

“If we keep them in their animal forms they won’t require as much food,” Regina mused. “Nor will they be able to lie their way into sympathy from the idiots we’ll be leaving here. Not you, Widow Lucas,” Regina said with a sigh when the woman made a disgruntled noise, “just, well, everyone else.” Emma snorted and Regina crossed her arms defensively when the Charmings gave her admonishing looks. It was true. Her peasants were some dumb little shits. The children might have gained some common sense at school back in Storybrooke, but the adults were lost causes.

“Which one is my dad?” Henry asked curiously. Regina looked at him nervously, and he reached out and grabbed her hand, giving her a tentative grin. She relaxed. Slightly.

“The weasel,” Emma said gleefully. “But I’d like to leave him that way for awhile. You can talk to him later, kiddo.”

“Okay,” Henry agreed easily. He was still a bit angry at the man for kidnapping him. And tying him up. And leaving him with the smelly pirate on the dock, who had held his sharp hook to his throat. “Fine with me,” Henry added somewhat bitterly. His father had not made a good first impression.

“You’re just going to let her leave them as animals?” Grumpy blurted incredulously, looking to Snow and David as he threw his arm towards Emma and the furry pests.

“Definitely,” Snow said immediately. David looked at her, eyebrows drawn together in confusion as his wife’s quick agreement. “They kidnapped and threatened my grandson, not to mention the weasel got my daughter pregnant and then framed her so she went to prison. Prison is like a dungeon, basically,” Snow clarified for her husband. Him being unconscious during their time in Storybrooke was really starting to get annoying. He quickly endeared himself to her again when he started to draw his sword, his furious gaze on the weasel, who quickly scurried to hide behind Emma.

Seeing that David was about to try to turn Henry’s father into a shish kebab, Regina transported the rat and the weasel to her dungeons, making sure to enclose them in a small cage.

“The pirate and the thief are in the dungeon now. Widow Lucas, please make sure to have someone feed them a few times every day,” Regina directed. Granny nodded. “Now then, Grumpy, will you be helping with Operation Mongoose or not?” Henry beamed at his mom using the name he’d come up with, and Regina noticed, shooting the boy a small smile before turning her stern gaze back to the obnoxious dwarf.

“Out,” Emma said. Everyone turned to her. “I can’t deal with him being mean to Regina for no reason. I’ve already turned him into a toadstool. If he comes into a forest with us I’ll turn him into a tree and you’ll never find him.”

Grumpy looked at her, startled, and quickly mumbled that he would stay behind to help Granny.

“I’m out too!” Zelena declared.

“Nope, sorry Deputy Pistachio,” Henry chirped. “You already have a code name, so you have to be a part of Operation Mongoose. That’s how it works. What? I don’t make the rules.” He crossed his arms, shrugging slightly, and Zelena groaned. “Besides, you’re family. So you’re stuck with us now!”

“Fine. But I won’t be a part of any future operations unless I want to be. Deal?” She narrowed her eyes at the boy, and he nodded, a wide smile on his face. Zelena sighed. “What’s the plan, sis?”

Regina pursed her lips and turned to Emma, eyebrow cocked. Did they have a plan?

“So,” Emma said, drawing everyone’s attention, “I don’t know the specifics, but I do know that you need the help of a unicorn to break the Dark One’s curse.”

“Unicorns are extinct,” Regina blurted. “Surely there has to be another way.”

“The only way I know of is with a unicorn’s help. The first Dark One, Nimue, attempted to wipe out the unicorns so her ex boytoy Merlin- yes, that Merlin- couldn’t cure her of the darkness. Luckily for us she failed.”

“So unicorns aren’t extinct?” Regina asked doubtfully. She’d never seen one, and Rumple had been sure they were gone for good. Anytime an ingredient that had to do with a unicorn popped up in a spell he would scoff and destroy the manuscript.

“Nope. I mean, they almost were,” Emma said. “But when I had annoyed all of the other Dark One ghosts into silence, Nimue was finally brought out. So I tracked down the last few unicorns, who were hiding on an island cloaked in light magic, and convinced them to let me help. I started a unicorn refuge here in the Enchanted Forest, and we have a couple hundred now. Still not sure why they trusted a Dark One, but it probably has something to do with the whole ‘child of true love’ bit.” Emma shrugged, and for some reason her panther, Lily, snarled at Snow and David. “Easy, girl,” Emma said, reaching down to scratch behind the giant cat’s ears. The panther purred.

“You’re more productive as the bloody Dark One than you were as the Sheriff!” Zelena exclaimed, her eyes wide.

“Annoying ancient evil warlocks is a great motivator,” Emma replied with a wide grin. “So, we ready to go see some unicorns?”


End file.
